The Apollo missions were a series of spaceflights conducted by NASA between 1961 and 1972, aimed at landing humans on the Moon and bringing them safely back to Earth. The most famous mission, Apollo 11, successfully landed astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the lunar surface in July 1969, making Armstrong the first human to walk on the Moon. In total, there were six successful lunar landing missions, with Apollo 17 being the last in December 1972. The missions provided valuable scientific data, advanced space exploration technology, and inspired generations to pursue careers in science and engineering.