Apollo 12 was the second lunar landing mission, coming just 4 months after the triumph of Apollo 11. Designed to exercise a pinpoint landing and more robust exploration of the area, the Apollo 12 mission set down in the Ocean of Storms about 200 meters from the Surveyor III probe, which landed in April, 1967. Featuring the jovial crew of Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan Bean, the Apollo 12 mission launched into a thunderstorm and was struck by lightning shortly after liftoff. Despite concern for the health of the spacecraft, Apollo 12 was checked out in Earth orbit and proceeded on a successful mission and exploration of the moon.
