Pete Conrad the prime crew on the third following mission. If the swap of 8 and 9 had not occurred, Conrad might have commanded Apollo 11, the first mission to land on the Moon. On November 14, 1969, Apollo 12 was launched with Conrad as Commander, Dick Gordon as Command Module Pilot, and Alan Bean as Lunar Module Pilot. The launch was the most harrowing of the Apollo program, as a series of lightning strikes just after liftoff temporarily knocked out power and guidance in the Command Module. Five days later, after stepping onto the lunar surface, Conrad joked about his own
Neil Armstrong future, destines our nation to become one of second or even third rate stature". Armstrong also publicly recalled his initial concerns about the Apollo 11 mission, when he had believed there was only a 50% chance of landing on the Moon. "I was elated, ecstatic and extremely surprised that we were successful", he later said. On November 18, 2010, aged 80, Armstrong said in a speech during the "Science & Technology Summit" in The Hague, Netherlands, that he would offer his services as commander on a mission to Mars if he were asked. Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5,