If I remember correctly the laser is a pulsed system averaging 60W or so. Here's a gee whizzer for you. They also do ranging at Apache Point in New Mexico using a 3.5m telescope with adaptive optics creating a much better resolution and a much stronger return. "Strong is a relative term here—APOLLO records approximately one returned laser photon per pulse, as opposed to the roughly 0.01 photon-per-pulse average experienced by previous LLR facilities."
Oh and as a sidenote relating to the moon landing myths, (I love this particular myth because it swells with crackpots), the most concrete evidence the U.S. landed on the moon was from the Soviet Union. Of course they monitored the radio traffic, and used radar to track the vehicles. If the U.S. hoaxed it the USSR would have been all over it. The conspiracy theorists cannot seem to explain how the U.S. managed to keep the USSR, the enemy of the free world and evil empire vying for the souls of lost countries, quiet about it.
