THIS DAY IN HISTORY: Apollo 12’s Pinpoint Landing Captured A Moment of Precision and Partnership on the Moon
By Space Coast Daily // November 19, 2025
Flashback to November 19, 1969
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – “Good landing, Pete! Outstanding, man! Beautiful!” With those words, Lunar Module Pilot Alan Bean congratulated Apollo 12 Commander Pete Conrad moments after one of the most precise landings in the history of lunar exploration.
On November 19, 1969, Apollo 12 touched down in the Ocean of Storms, placing the spacecraft within an astonishing 535 feet (163 meters) of its intended target — the Surveyor 3 probe, which had landed on the Moon two years earlier.
The accuracy of Conrad’s landing was no small achievement. Unlike Apollo 11, which faced a host of final-minute hazards and adjustments, the Apollo 12 crew executed a near-perfect descent, demonstrating NASA’s rapidly growing confidence and capability in lunar navigation.
The proximity to Surveyor 3 was crucial. The probe was one of the key destinations planned for the astronauts’ moonwalk the following day, when they would examine and retrieve parts of the robotic spacecraft to study the effects of long-term exposure to the lunar environment.
The iconic moment was captured by Conrad himself, who snapped a photograph of Alan Bean descending the ladder of the lunar module, stepping onto the Moon’s surface as the second man on the mission — and the fourth human in history — to walk on the Moon.
Apollo 12 remains celebrated not only for its scientific accomplishments but also for the camaraderie, precision, and good humor of its crew. Conrad’s pinpoint landing and Bean’s enthusiastic praise stand as enduring symbols of NASA’s pioneering spirit during the golden age of space exploration.
