A Compilation of Human Artifacts on the Moon
For the past half-century, the Moon has been the destination of some of humankind’s most monumental and challenging expeditions. As the Moon becomes more accessible to both national space programs and private enterprise, it is increasingly important that we protect lunar artifacts for both their historical and scientific value. The first step in preserving these artifacts is establishing exactly what is there and where it is. This resource offers a comprehensive catalogue and maps of human artifacts on the Moon based on the currently available data. Click on each map to view an enlarged version.
Click here for a catalogue of human artifacts on the Moon.
Map of All Artifacts on the Moon*
Click on image to enlarge
Map of U.S. Artifacts on the Moon*
Click on image to enlarge
Map of Apollo Artifacts on the Moon*
Click on image to enlarge
Map of Soviet Artifacts on the Moon
Click on image to enlarge
* Lunar Module (LM) ascent stages of Apollo 12, 14, 15, and 17 were deliberately impacted on the Moon in the vicinity of their landing sites. For the purposes of this map they are not shown as separate objects, but the coordinates are indicated in the catalogue. The ascent stages for Apollo 11 and Apollo 16 were left in lunar orbit. Both later impacted the Moon, but the precise location is unknown. The descent stage for the Apollo 10 LM (Snoopy) was also left in lunar orbit and later impacted the Moon at an unknown location.
Resources Used:
National Space Science Data Center Spacecraft Catalogue
NASA’s Recommendations to Space-Faring Entities: How to Protect and Preserve the Historic and Scientific Value of U.S. Government Lunar Artifacts (Release: July 20, 2011)
Arizona State University Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera ACT-REACT Quick Map
Orloff, Richard W. Apollo by the Numbers: A Statistical Reference. NASA SP-2000-4029, 2000.
Additional Materials:
NASA’s Recommendations to Space-Faring Entities: How to Protect and Preserve the Historic and Scientific Value of U.S. Government Lunar Artifacts
Lunar Science Institute - NASA sets guidelines for Apollo moon landing sites
Google Lunar XPrize
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission page
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) imagery of artifact sites
| 
