When NASA came to Idaho – the lava fields that trained Apollo 14 astronauts

Four Astronauts’ Secret Moon Training in Idaho’s Wilderness

Craters of the Moon National Monument looks so much like the lunar surface that NASA sent astronauts there to practice.

Six weeks after Neil Armstrong’s historic landing, four Apollo astronauts arrived in Idaho wearing street clothes and carrying rock hammers.

Alan Shepard led the team through the lava fields, learning to spot volcanic features and collect samples. None of them were trained geologists, but they needed those skills badly.

Lunar rocks cost too much to waste on poor collecting techniques.

The training worked perfectly when Shepard and Edgar Mitchell landed at Fra Mauro in 1971, gathering 94 pounds of moon rocks.

Here’s how Idaho’s alien landscape helped prepare America’s moon walkers for their greatest mission.

Space Heroes Touched Down in Idaho Just Weeks After Moonwalk

Just six weeks after Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, four Apollo astronauts flew into tiny Arco, Idaho on August 22, 1969. Alan Shepard led the team – he made Americans proud as our first man in space back in 1961.

Gene Cernan joined fresh from his Apollo 10 mission where he flew within 8 miles of the moon that May. Joe Engle and Ed Mitchell completed the group.

The four men stepped onto Idaho soil as worldwide celebrities during the height of America’s space craze.

Four Pilots Needed Crash Course in Moon Rocks

The astronauts came to Idaho for a job critical to Apollo 14’s success.

Shepard, Mitchell, Cernan, and Engle were all excellent test pilots with thousands of flight hours, but none knew anything about geology.

NASA needed these men to learn how to spot valuable moon rocks and understand volcanic formations quickly.

The space agency picked Craters of the Moon National Monument because its strange, bubbling lava fields looked more like the moon than anywhere else on Earth.

Ted Foss Turned Pilots into Rock Experts

NASA geologist Ted Foss met the astronauts at Craters of the Moon ready to turn them from pilots to rock experts. The men wore regular clothes and carried basic rock hammers as they hiked across the rough ground.

Foss taught them to spot different lava types, find key volcanic features, and collect samples properly. Camera crews and reporters followed behind as America’s heroes crawled over black rocks under the hot Idaho sun.

Volcanic Playground Mimicked Moon’s Surface

The odd landscape at Craters of the Moon gave astronauts the perfect practice field. The park’s lava flows were young, between 2,100 and 15,000 years old, though much newer than the moon’s old surface.

What made this spot special was how it packed nearly every type of volcanic feature into one easy-to-reach area.

The astronauts needed to understand these formations to make smart choices about which moon rocks to bring home.

Astronauts Learned to Talk Like Geologists

The training turned test pilots into science watchers.

The men practiced spotting aa and pahoehoe lava flows, volcanic bombs, and telling the difference between cinder cones and spatter cones.

They learned to describe what they saw using exact terms that would make sense to geologists back on Earth. As Mitchell later said, they needed to become "the eyes of the geologists" on the moon.

The men recorded their thoughts on tape and took photos of their findings.

Lava Tubes and Cinder Cones Became Their Classroom

The team spent hours climbing through lava tubes, scaling cinder cones, and walking across rippled pahoehoe lava that looked like frozen black taffy.

They studied how lava cooled and hardened into different shapes.

The astronauts practiced moving across the sharp, uneven ground, giving them a taste of what moonwalking might feel like.

They learned which rocks held the most science value and how to spot signs of different volcanic processes.

Local Folks Got Rare Glimpse of Spacemen at Work

Idaho Statesman editor Frank Ahrens showed up with his camera to capture the visit for local readers.

Shepard, known for his serious approach to training, complained about the media attention that took focus from their geology lessons.

Cernan and Engle were friendlier with visitors, with Cernan reportedly helping put sunscreen on a reporter’s wife. The small towns around buzzed with excitement as locals spotted the famous space travelers.

Rock Collecting Became Serious Business

The astronauts learned that moon rock collection went beyond grabbing cool-looking stones.

They practiced taking samples from different depths and spots within lava flows to understand the full story of how the rocks formed.

The men used tape recorders to capture detailed descriptions of each sample’s setting and look. They took photos from many angles to document exactly where each rock came from.

Moon Missions Required More Than Flying Skills

Many people thought astronauts just "drove moon buggies around," but the Idaho training showed the true complexity of their job.

The intense geology education showed how NASA moved from pure exploration to serious scientific research.

The agency needed its pilot-astronauts to think like scientists, make smart choices about sample collection, and share their findings clearly.

Idaho Training Paid Off on Lunar Surface

When Shepard and Mitchell finally landed at Fra Mauro during Apollo 14 in February 1971, their geology training proved valuable.

The pair collected 94 pounds of lunar samples during their moonwalks, carefully picking rocks that would tell Earth’s scientists the most about lunar history.

Cernan used his training even more when he became the last person to walk on the moon during Apollo 17 in December 1972.

Craters of the Moon Still Helps Space Explorers Today

Three of the astronauts returned to Craters of the Moon in 1999 for the monument’s 75th anniversary, reflecting on how the site helped prepare them for lunar exploration.

NASA continues to use the area for space research and training today.

The focus has shifted to Mars exploration and astrobiology studies, with scientists studying how life might survive in harsh volcanic environments similar to those on the red planet.

That single August day in 1969 started a long relationship between Idaho’s volcanic wonderland and America’s space program that continues more than five decades later.

Visiting Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho

You can explore where Apollo astronauts trained for moon missions at 1266 Craters Loop Road in Arco.

The $20 entrance fee covers seven days and gets you access to the seven-mile Loop Road that connects all the volcanic features and trails.

If you want to explore the lava tubes beyond Indian Tunnel, grab a free cave permit at the visitor center and bring flashlights. Any clothing or gear from other caves isn’t allowed inside.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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