When thinking about NASA and the Moon, Neil Armstrong is usually the first person who comes to mind. During the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong was the first person to walk on the Moon, with Buzz Aldrin joining him as the second. But what about the other astronauts who followed in Armstrong’s footsteps (or leaps) and the programs that provided the research to make the Moon landings possible?

Distributed in the 1970s, this commemorative Apollo 12 glass cup is decorated with the names of successful astronauts and NASA spacecrafts that helped us explore and learn about our moon after the Apollo 11, increasing our understanding of space. Using red, white and blue, this glass displays the pride of the United States as a nation in its accomplishment of traveling to the Moon. Focusing on the Apollo 12 mission, it lists the astronauts Charles Conrad, Richard F. Gordon and Alan L. Bean and the machines they used, like the Surveyor 3 and the Intrepid.

Charles Conrad and Alan L. Bean became the third and fourth people to walk on the Moon, while Richard F. Gordon was the command module pilot of the Apollo 12 mission, getting Conrad and Bean to the moon and back safely. These accomplished men were successful in a variety of fields, from chemistry to defense to business to aviation and space exploration.[1]

This glass proudly displays their story as an American tale, from Surveyor 3 being launched in 1967, and landing on the Moon to send back information that helped Apollo 11 and 12 successfully land on the Moon’s surface. In 1969, Apollo 12 used Surveyor 3 as a target site, landing within walking distance of the spacecraft, collecting parts and samples from it to bring back to Earth. The Intrepid was the lunar lander used by Conrad, Bean and Gordon. Each lunar landing had its own lander, with the Intrepid being retired after the Apollo 12 mission.

Often sold as a commemorative souvenir at local gas stations in the 1970s, the glass displays the sense of awe in space that Americans had at the time, showing stars and planets in the distance behind the moon as the two astronauts make their way from the Intrepid to the Surveyor 3.[2] This glass radiates the pride and confidence the United States had of reaching the Moon and looks to the future of space exploration. Most likely for everyday use, it was a constant reminder of the great people that accomplished something that had only been done once before. This glass is one part of the various commemorative Apollo mission glass sets. The sets focus on Apollo missions 11, 12, 13, and 14, while another focuses on the Moon landing itself and together they tell the history of the early American Space program and allow us to reflect on how far we have come since then.

-Alex Lien

[1] “Apollo 12 Mission.” Apollo 12 Mission Overview. Accessed March 18, 2019. https://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/apollo/apollo_12/overview/.

[2] Steve Zarelli, “The Libbey Apollo Mission Glass Story,” Zarelli Space Authentication, July 3, 2017. Accessed March 18, 2019. https://zarellispaceauthentication.com/blog/2017/7/1/the-libbey-space-glass-story.