Lightning Struck Apollo 12 Twice at Launch

Apollo 12 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on November 14, 1969, in rain. Astronauts Charles Conrad Jr., Richard F. Gordon Jr. and Alan L. Bean were aboard the Saturn V rocket, bound for the Moon.

The rocket triggered a lightning discharge 36.5 seconds after liftoff, as it climbed through clouds. It was struck again at 52 seconds, which caused an electrical disturbance. The crew and Mission Control worked through the faults, and the mission went on to land on the Moon five days later.