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The Apollo 17 crew took time out from training to pose for the press after the Space Vehicle for their Manned Lunar Landing Mission was moved to Pad A, Complex 39 today. Apollo 17 Commander Eugene A Cernan sits at the controls of the One-G Lunar Roving Vehicle Simulator used to simulate operations on the Moon's surface. With Cernan are Lunar Module Pilot Dr. Harrison H. "Jack" Schmitt, left and Command Module Plot Ronald A. Evans. The Apollo 17 Space Vehicle, scheduled for launch from KSC on the sixth U.S. Manned Lunar Landing Mission on December 6, 1972 is in the background.
NASA
The Apollo 17 crew took time out from training to pose for the press after the Space Vehicle for their Manned Lunar Landing Mission was moved to Pad A, Complex 39 today. Apollo 17 Commander Eugene A Cernan sits at the controls of the One-G Lunar Roving Vehicle Simulator used to simulate operations on the Moon’s surface. With Cernan are Lunar Module Pilot Dr. Harrison H. “Jack” Schmitt, left and Command Module Plot Ronald A. Evans. The Apollo 17 Space Vehicle, scheduled for launch from KSC on the sixth U.S. Manned Lunar Landing Mission on December 6, 1972 is in the background.

Pictures: Apollo 17, the last mission in the Apollo program

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The Apollo 17 crew took time out from training to pose for the press after the Space Vehicle for their Manned Lunar Landing Mission was moved to Pad A, Complex 39 today. Apollo 17 Commander Eugene A Cernan sits at the controls of the One-G Lunar Roving Vehicle Simulator used to simulate operations on the Moon’s surface. With Cernan are Lunar Module Pilot Dr. Harrison H. “Jack” Schmitt, left and Command Module Plot Ronald A. Evans. The Apollo 17 Space Vehicle, scheduled for launch from KSC on the sixth U.S. Manned Lunar Landing Mission on December 6, 1972 is in the background.
Liftoff of the Apollo 17 Saturn V Moon Rocket from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 12:33 a.m., December 17, 1972. Apollo 17, the final lunar landing mission, was the first night launch of a Saturn V rocket.
Liftoff of the Apollo 17 Saturn V Moon Rocket from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 12:33 a.m., December 17, 1972. Apollo 17, the final lunar landing mission, was the first night launch of a Saturn V rocket.
The crescent Earth rises above the lunar horizon in this spectacular photograph taken from the Apollo 17 spacecraft in lunar orbit during final lunar landing mission in the Apollo program. Image Credit: NASA - Original Credit: NASA - Original Source: NASA
The crescent Earth rises above the lunar horizon in this spectacular photograph taken from the Apollo 17 spacecraft in lunar orbit during final lunar landing mission in the Apollo program. Image Credit: NASA – Original Credit: NASA – Original Source: NASA
Astronaut Eugene A. Cernan, mission commander, walks toward the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) during extravehicular activity (EVA) at the Taurus-Littrow landing site of NASA’s sixth and final Apollo lunar landing mission. The photograph was taken by astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt, lunar module pilot. While astronauts Cernan and Schmitt descended in the Lunar Module (LM) “Challenger” to explore the Taurus-Littrow region of the moon, astronaut Ronald E. Evans, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) “America” in lunar orbit.
The Apollo 17 Command Module (CM), with astronauts Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald E. Evans and Harrison H. Schmitt aboard, nears splashdown in the South Pacific Ocean to successfully concludes the final lunar landing mission in NASA's Apollo program. This overhead view was taken from a recovery aircraft seconds before the spacecraft hit the water. The splashdown occurred at 304:31:59 ground elapsed time, 2:24:59 p.m. (EST) Dec. 19, 1972, at coordinates of 166 degrees 8 minutes west longitude and 27 degrees 53 minutes south latitude, about 350 nautical miles southeast of the Samoan Islands. The splashdown was only .8 miles from the target point. Later, the three crewmen were picked up by a helicopter from the prime recovery ship, USS Ticonderoga.
The Apollo 17 Command Module (CM), with astronauts Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald E. Evans and Harrison H. Schmitt aboard, nears splashdown in the South Pacific Ocean to successfully concludes the final lunar landing mission in NASA’s Apollo program. This overhead view was taken from a recovery aircraft seconds before the spacecraft hit the water. The splashdown occurred at 304:31:59 ground elapsed time, 2:24:59 p.m. (EST) Dec. 19, 1972, at coordinates of 166 degrees 8 minutes west longitude and 27 degrees 53 minutes south latitude, about 350 nautical miles southeast of the Samoan Islands. The splashdown was only .8 miles from the target point. Later, the three crewmen were picked up by a helicopter from the prime recovery ship, USS Ticonderoga.
The three Apollo 17 crewmembers arrive aboard the prime recovery ship, the USS Ticonderoga, to successfully conclude the final lunar landing mission in NASA's Apollo program. They are astronauts Eugene A. Cernan (waving), Harrison H. Schmitt (on Cernan's left), and Ronald E. Evans (standing in back). VIP's, dignitaries, officials and Navy personnel gave the three crew men a red-carpet welcome. Apollo 17 splashed down at 2:24:59 p.m. (EST), Dec. 19, 1972, about 350 nautical miles southeast of Samoa.
The three Apollo 17 crewmembers arrive aboard the prime recovery ship, the USS Ticonderoga, to successfully conclude the final lunar landing mission in NASA’s Apollo program. They are astronauts Eugene A. Cernan (waving), Harrison H. Schmitt (on Cernan’s left), and Ronald E. Evans (standing in back). VIP’s, dignitaries, officials and Navy personnel gave the three crew men a red-carpet welcome. Apollo 17 splashed down at 2:24:59 p.m. (EST), Dec. 19, 1972, about 350 nautical miles southeast of Samoa.
A water-level view of the Apollo 17 Command Module (CM) floating in the Pacific Ocean following splashdown and prior to recovery. The prime recovery ship, the USS Ticonderoga, is in the background. When this picture was taken, the three-man crew of astronauts Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald E. Evans and Harrison H. Schmitt, had already been picked up by helicopter and flown to the deck of the recovery ship. The spacecraft was later hoisted aboard the USS Ticonderoga. A United States Navy UDT swimmer stands on the flotation collar. Apollo 17 splashdown occurred at 2:24:59 p.m. (EST), Dec. 19, 1972, about 350 nautical miles southeast of Samoa.
A water-level view of the Apollo 17 Command Module (CM) floating in the Pacific Ocean following splashdown and prior to recovery. The prime recovery ship, the USS Ticonderoga, is in the background. When this picture was taken, the three-man crew of astronauts Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald E. Evans and Harrison H. Schmitt, had already been picked up by helicopter and flown to the deck of the recovery ship. The spacecraft was later hoisted aboard the USS Ticonderoga. A United States Navy UDT swimmer stands on the flotation collar. Apollo 17 splashdown occurred at 2:24:59 p.m. (EST), Dec. 19, 1972, about 350 nautical miles southeast of Samoa.
This image from Apollo 17, and others like it, captured whole hemispheres of water, land and weather. This photo was the first view of the south polar ice cap. Almost the entire coastline of Africa is visible, along with the Arabian Peninsula. The image is often referred to as the “Blue Marble.”
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Apollo 17 was the first mission to carry a trained geologist to the moon, and the last mission to ever go to the moon. The Apollo 17 mission made Eugene Cernan the last man to ever walk on the moon. No one has been back since Dec. 14, 1972.

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Apollo 17 was the first mission to carry a trained geologist to the moon, and the last mission to ever go to the moon. The Apollo 17 mission made Eugene Cernan the last man to ever walk on the moon. No one has been back since Dec. 14, 1972.

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Apollo 17 was the first mission to carry a trained geologist to the moon, and the last mission to ever go to the moon. The Apollo 17 mission made Eugene Cernan the last man to ever walk on the moon. No one has been back since Dec. 14, 1972.

The Apollo 17 command module America makes a perfect splashdown in the Pacific south of Pago Pago Tuesday Dec. 19, 1972, at the end of the final lunar mission of the Apollo series. (AP Photo/PL)
The Apollo 17 command module America makes a perfect splashdown in the Pacific south of Pago Pago Tuesday Dec. 19, 1972, at the end of the final lunar mission of the Apollo series. (AP Photo/PL)
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> Mission goals: Conduct geological surveying and material sampling in the Taurus-Littrow area; build on previous scientific experiments and conduct heat-flow and biomedical tests.

ALSO READ: The Number of Space Travelers Every Year Since Space Travel Began

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> Mission goals: Conduct geological surveying and material sampling in the Taurus-Littrow area; build on previous scientific experiments and conduct heat-flow and biomedical tests.

ALSO READ: The Number of Space Travelers Every Year Since Space Travel Began

” data-src=”/wp-content/uploads/migration/2022/12/16/DNIEAZ5MPYJXVNHGGOFSCF4SEA.jpg”>

> Mission goals: Conduct geological surveying and material sampling in the Taurus-Littrow area; build on previous scientific experiments and conduct heat-flow and biomedical tests.

ALSO READ: The Number of Space Travelers Every Year Since Space Travel Began

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> Astronauts: Eugene A. Cernan, Harrison H. Schmitt, Ronald E. Evans

Eugene A. Cernan and Harrison H. Schmitt were the last people to leave their footprints on the moon. Cernan had flown in two prior space flights. He was the second American to walk in space during the Gemini 9 flight in 1966 and he was the pilot of the Apollo 10 mission, the last space shot before the historic moon landing by Apollo 11. Schmitt, a geologist, was the only astronaut to have walked on the moon without a military background. He later became a U.S. senator from New Mexico and wrote the book “Return to the Moon: Exploration, Enterprise, and Energy in the Human Settlement of Space.” Command module pilot Ronald E. Evans walked in space for an hour and six minutes during the return flight to Earth.

Apollo 17 established the following records in lunar exploration: longest manned lunar landing flight (301 hours and 51 minutes); longest lunar surface extravehicular activities (22 hours and four minutes); and largest lunar sample return (an estimated 249 pounds).

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> Astronauts: Eugene A. Cernan, Harrison H. Schmitt, Ronald E. Evans

Eugene A. Cernan and Harrison H. Schmitt were the last people to leave their footprints on the moon. Cernan had flown in two prior space flights. He was the second American to walk in space during the Gemini 9 flight in 1966 and he was the pilot of the Apollo 10 mission, the last space shot before the historic moon landing by Apollo 11. Schmitt, a geologist, was the only astronaut to have walked on the moon without a military background. He later became a U.S. senator from New Mexico and wrote the book “Return to the Moon: Exploration, Enterprise, and Energy in the Human Settlement of Space.” Command module pilot Ronald E. Evans walked in space for an hour and six minutes during the return flight to Earth.

Apollo 17 established the following records in lunar exploration: longest manned lunar landing flight (301 hours and 51 minutes); longest lunar surface extravehicular activities (22 hours and four minutes); and largest lunar sample return (an estimated 249 pounds).

” data-src=”/wp-content/uploads/migration/2022/12/16/2ZWLN5PHNILXYBLCOLXPD5P74M.jpg”>

> Astronauts: Eugene A. Cernan, Harrison H. Schmitt, Ronald E. Evans

Eugene A. Cernan and Harrison H. Schmitt were the last people to leave their footprints on the moon. Cernan had flown in two prior space flights. He was the second American to walk in space during the Gemini 9 flight in 1966 and he was the pilot of the Apollo 10 mission, the last space shot before the historic moon landing by Apollo 11. Schmitt, a geologist, was the only astronaut to have walked on the moon without a military background. He later became a U.S. senator from New Mexico and wrote the book “Return to the Moon: Exploration, Enterprise, and Energy in the Human Settlement of Space.” Command module pilot Ronald E. Evans walked in space for an hour and six minutes during the return flight to Earth.

Apollo 17 established the following records in lunar exploration: longest manned lunar landing flight (301 hours and 51 minutes); longest lunar surface extravehicular activities (22 hours and four minutes); and largest lunar sample return (an estimated 249 pounds).

Collected during Apollo 17, a 3.5 billion year old basalt rock known as “The Children of the World” or “The Goodwill Sample” is displayed in the lunar lab at the NASA Johnson Space Center Monday, June 17, 2019, in Houston. It was used for to make samples that were gifted to every country on earth.
This combination of photos made available by NASA shows the 12 men who have walked on the moon. Top row from left are Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 – 1969; Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Apollo 11 – 1969; Charles “Pete” Conrad, Apollo 12 – 1969 and Alan L. Bean, Apollo 12 – 1969. Middle row from left are Alan Shepard, Apollo 14 – 1971; Edgar D. Mitchell, Apollo 14 – 1971; David Scott, Apollo 15 – 1971 and James B. Irwin, Apollo 15 – 1971. Bottom row from left are John Young, Apollo 16 – 1972; Charles M. Duke Jr., Apollo 16 – 1972; Eugene A. Cernan, Apollo 17 – 1972 and Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, Apollo 17 – 1972.
An attendee views an Apollo 17 exhibit during the Apollo 11, 50th Live celebration at Space Center Houston on July 19, 2019, in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Loren ELLIOTT / AFP) (Photo credit should read LOREN ELLIOTT/AFP/Getty Images)
An attendee views an Apollo 17 exhibit during the Apollo 11, 50th Live celebration at Space Center Houston on July 19, 2019, in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Loren ELLIOTT / AFP) (Photo credit should read LOREN ELLIOTT/AFP/Getty Images)
Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan was the last man to walk on the moon. Cernan wrote TDC -- his daughter's initials, in the lunar dust at the end of the mission in late 1972.
Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan was the last man to walk on the moon. Cernan wrote TDC — his daughter’s initials, in the lunar dust at the end of the mission in late 1972.
Command Module Pilot Ronald E. Evans and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison H. Schmitt take a photo during the last mission to the moon in 1972, Apollo 17.
Command Module Pilot Ronald E. Evans and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison H. Schmitt take a photo during the last mission to the moon in 1972, Apollo 17.
Astronaut Ron Evans brushes his teeth in this unprocessed 35mm image from film magazine 163/TT taken onboard of the Apollo 17.
Astronaut Ron Evans brushes his teeth in this unprocessed 35mm image from film magazine 163/TT taken onboard of the Apollo 17.
Apollo 17 Lunar Module Pilot Harrison H. Schmitt takes time to shave on the last manned mission to the moon. Fun fact: Schmitt was the first geologist to set foot on the Moon. Apollo 17 35mm image from film magazine 163/TT - onboard
Apollo 17 Lunar Module Pilot Harrison H. Schmitt takes time to shave on the last manned mission to the moon.
Fun fact: Schmitt was the first geologist to set foot on the Moon.

Apollo 17 35mm image from film magazine 163/TT – onboard

Apollo 17 Commanded Eugene A. Cernan (left) and Harrison H. Schmitt, Lunar Module Pilot take a photo during the last manned mission to the moon in 1972.
Apollo 17 Commanded Eugene A. Cernan (left) and Harrison H. Schmitt, Lunar Module Pilot take a photo during the last manned mission to the moon in 1972.
The new documentary “The Last Man on the Moon” is about the Apollo 17 mission and Chicago-born Gene Cernan, who left the last human footprints in the lunar dust.
The new documentary “The Last Man on the Moon” is about the Apollo 17 mission and Chicago-born Gene Cernan, who left the last human footprints in the lunar dust.
The new documentary “The Last Man on the Moon” is about the Apollo 17 mission and Chicago-born Gene Cernan, who left the last human footprints in the lunar dust.
A photograph of Earth taken from Apollo 17, 1972.
A photograph of Earth taken from Apollo 17, 1972.
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