What Have Astronauts Experienced on the Moon? Why Do They Change Drastically Upon Return, Exhibiting Strange Behaviors?

The Eerie Lunar Surface

All the Apollo astronauts who returned from the moon seemed like completely different people — either drastically changed in personality or exhibiting bizarre behaviors. What did they experience on the moon that led to these changes?

From July 21, 1969, when American astronaut Neil Armstrong left the first footprint on the lunar surface, to December 12, 1972, when Apollo 17’s Eugene Cernan left the last, over three years elapsed.

During these three-plus years, the Apollo program carried out seven missions. Except for the failure of Apollo 13, the other six missions successfully landed on the moon, bringing a total of 12 astronauts to its surface.

After the conclusion of the Apollo moon missions, it was thought that the space age had dawned, and humanity’s strides would reach further into the cosmos. However, as the saying goes, “peaking too soon,” over the next 50 years, humanity has yet to accomplish anything as grand as the moon landings.