Apollo 14 mission. Computer artwork of a view of the Sun and Moon, as seen by NASA astronauts on the Apollo 14 mission to the Moon. This point was two hours before reaching lunar orbit. The Moon was half- full, as seen from Earth. This was the third Apollo mission to land on the Moon. It launched on 31 January 1971. The lunar landing took place on 5 February 1971. The crew was Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell. Shepard and Mitchell spent 33 hours on the lunar surface, while Roosa remained in orbit in the command module. There were eleven manned Apollo missions, from 1968- 1972. A total of 12 US astronauts walked on the Moon.