On December 18, 1972, Gene Cernan, Ron Evans, and Harrison Schmitt were en route to Earth from a 12 day mission to and from the moon referred to as Apollo 17. The chosen destination while exploring the lunar surface, was the Taurus-Littrow valley, a region selected due to the scientific objectives they were projected to carry out.
Geological surveying/sampling of materials and surface features were carried out along with deploying/activating surface experiments to study the moon’s interior, such as: Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) which contained a heat flow experiment); lunar seismic profiling (LSP); lunar surface gravimeter (LSG); lunar atmospheric composition experiment (LACE); in-flight experiments and photographic tasks during lunar orbit and transearth coast; biomedical experiments; and a host of notable achievements, capitalizing on the preceding Apollo 15 mission.
Apollo 17 landing site, photographed in 2011 by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter [x].
Apollo 17 broke the record for longest manned lunar landing flight; longest total lunar surface extravehicular activities; largest lunar sampling return; and longest time in lunar orbit; also recognized as the first ever night launch of a U.S. human spaceflight and the final crewed launch of a Saturn V rocket. On that evening (12:33AM EST) at Kennedy Space Center, over 500,000 people were estimated to have watched the launch within the vicinity of the KSC.
Apollo 17 launch; December 7, 1972. [x]
Before reentering the Lunar Module (LM) for the final time on the lunar surface, NASA Astronaut Commander Gene Cernan spoke to the world:
“…I’m on the surface; and, as I take man’s last step from the surface, back home for some time to come – but we believe not too long into the future – I’d like to just [say] what I believe history will record. That America’s challenge of today has forged man’s destiny of tomorrow. And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. “Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17.”
Per aspera ad astra*
