The Moon Rocket Struck by Lightning Twice
Seconds after Apollo 12 lifted off in the rain, lightning struck it twice. Every warning light came on, and a young engineer saved the mission with a strange instruction.
What was reported
On 14 November 1969, Apollo 12 launched towards the Moon in rainy weather. Thirty-six seconds after lift-off, the Saturn V rocket was struck by lightning, and again at fifty-two seconds. In the spacecraft, alarms sounded and warning lights lit up, and the instruments showed nonsense.
In Mission Control, a 24-year-old flight controller, John Aaron, recognised the pattern from a test he'd seen and called out an obscure instruction: 'Try SCE to Aux.' Astronaut Alan Bean found the switch, and the data came back.
Explanations offered
The rocket itself, with its long trail of exhaust, had triggered the lightning by acting like a giant lightning rod. The mission continued and landed safely on the Moon. NASA changed its launch weather rules afterwards.
- When
- 14 November 1969
- Where
- In orbit, launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA
- Witnesses
- The Apollo 12 crew and Mission Control
- Status
- Confirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.