Apollo 12, the second manned mission to the surface of the
moon,was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with
astronauts Charles Conrad, Jr.; Richard F. Gordon, Jr.;
and Alan L. Bean aboard.
The crew had a narrow margin in which to launch to reach
the moon, but bad weather threatened to delay take-off and
they were struck by lightning twice during take-off.
President Richard Nixon (below center) viewed the liftoff
from Pad A at Cape Canaveral. He was the first president
to attend the liftoff of a manned space flight.
Commander Charles "Pete" Conrad, Jr.; Command
Module Pilot Richard F. Gordon, Jr.; Lunar Module
Pilot Alan L. Bean.
