in total how many people have walked on the moon

Twelve people have walked on the Moon. This total comes from NASA's Apollo program missions between 1969 and 1972, with no additional moonwalkers as of March 2026.

Mission Breakdown

Six Apollo missions successfully landed on the lunar surface, each with two astronauts stepping out for moonwalks (totaling 14 EVAs, or extravehicular activities).

• Apollo 11 (1969): Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin—first humans, iconic "one small step."

• Apollo 12 (1969): Charles Conrad and Alan Bean—precise landing near Surveyor 3 probe.

• Apollo 14 (1971): Alan Shepard (oldest moonwalker) and Edgar Mitchell.

• Apollo 15 (1971): David Scott and James Irwin—first lunar rover use.

• Apollo 16 (1972): John Young and Charles Duke—highland exploration.

• Apollo 17 (1972): Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt—last mission, Schmitt as first scientist-geologist.

All were American men; no women or non-Americans yet.

Common Myths Debunked

People sometimes claim 24 (including orbiters) or cite Apollo 13 (which aborted landing). Quick check: 6 landings × 2 walkers = 12—easy math holds up.

Mission| Walkers| Key Highlight| EVA Time
---|---|---|---
Apollo 11| Armstrong, Aldrin| First steps (July 20, 1969)| 2h 31m 3
Apollo 17| Cernan, Schmitt| Final footprints (Dec 1972)| 22h+ 3

Looking Ahead

NASA's Artemis program targets returns soon, aiming for the first woman and person of color—potentially changing this tally in the late 2020s. Imagine the stories from those future bootprints!

TL;DR: Still exactly 12 moonwalkers—no updates since 1972.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.