Nasa Apollo missions: Stories of the last Moon men

They were the pioneers of space exploration - the 24 Nasa astronauts who travelled to the Moon in the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s.

Now, more than 50 years on, the race to put people back on the lunar surface is heating up once again.

A number of private companies are scheduled to send scientific craft to the Moon in 2024. The first of these, Peregrine, ran into trouble shortly after launch, and while the second made it to the lunar surface, it broke one of its legs while landing.

Nasa had intended to launch Artemis 2, its first crewed lunar expedition since Apollo 17, later this year but that date has slipped into 2025, as the space agency says it needs more time to prepare.

Meanwhile, companies such as SpaceX and Boeing continue to develop their own technology.

Nasa hopes the Artemis programme will lead to astronauts living on the Moon this decade. China is also aiming to have people on the lunar surface by 2030, landing a probe on the far side of the Moon in June.

These delays highlight the sad fact that the number of remaining Apollo astronauts is dwindling.

The loss of Apollo 8 astronaut William 'Bill' Anders in June 2024 came just weeks after the death of Thomas Stafford, who commanded both Apollo 10 in 1969 and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975.

That Anders was reportedly flying the aircraft in which he died, at the age of 90, is evidence the adventurous spirit that took him into space had not been dulled by age.

Now just six people remain, who have escaped the relative safety of Earth orbit and ventured deeper into space.

Who are they, and what are their stories?

On 21 July 1969, former fighter pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin left his lunar landing craft and became the second person to step on the surface of the Moon. Almost 20 minutes beforehand, his commander, Neil Armstrong, had been the first.

Aldrin's first words were: "Beautiful view".

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