Apollo Lunar Module docking and extraction. Illustration showing the Command/Service Module (CSM) spacecraft docked with the Lunar Module (LM) used in the Apollo Moon landings. The Lunar Module (centre) was launched from Earth in a compartment of a Saturn V rocket (left), below the CSM (right). En route to the Moon, the CSM separated from the launch vehicle, turned around, and docked with the LM, extracting it from its compartment. The CSM and LM travelled together into lunar orbit. Two astronauts used the Lunar Module to descend to the Moon's surface and return to the CSM. The Command Module (conical section) was then used to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere, with the other sections being jettisoned.