How does Apollo take off from Moon's surface?

Answer 1

The command module and service module never lands on the moon but orbits around it while the lunar moduledescends to the surface. The lunar module is in two parts - the upper part, containing the astronauts, and the lower part which acts as a platform for landing and contains the landing rocket engine. When the lunar module takes off after the astronauts return to it after their moon walk, the lower part of the module detaches from the upper so that the lower part of the module now acts as a launchpad for the upper. The upper part of the module then lifts off with its own rocket engine, leaving the lower part behind. It then goes into rendevous with the command and service modules for the astronauts to return through a connecting tunnel into the command module.

The lunar module is then jettisoned into a decaying lunar orbit where it eventually crashlands on the moon's surface. The command and service modules then return to earth, the service module being jettisoned (and burning up in the atmosphere) just before re-entry into the earth's atmosphere so that the only part of the original Saturn V ship that returns is the command module containing the astronauts.

As there have been six Apollo missions that made it to the moon's surface, one day, either when telescopes are made powerful enough, or when we return to the moon, we should be able to trace the lunar module remains. As it is at the moment, the command modules are scattered over museums across the US - notably the Smithsonian and the Kennedy Space Center being just two. Other parts of the Saturn V (as an example, the complete rocket as seen in the Kennedy Space Center) were those left over from Apollo missions that never flew - Apollo 18, 19 and 20.