Apollo 17

Apollo 17 was the final crewed lunar landing mission. Geologist Harrison Schmitt and Commander Eugene Cernan explored the Taurus–Littrow valley, returning 110.5 kg of samples — the most of any Apollo mission. Cernan was the last human to walk on the Moon.

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Agency / Country

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (United States)

Mission Status

LANDED

Launch / Target Year

1972

Spacecraft / Type

Apollo LM Challenger

Landing Site Zone

Taurus–Littrow Valley

Surface Coordinates

Lat 20.191°, Lon 30.772°

Mission Imagery & Gallery

Apollo 17 photograph 1: NASA — Eugene Cernan on the Lunar Roving Vehicle, Taurus–Littrow, December 1972. (NASA, public domain) — NASA — Eugene Cernan on the Lunar Roving Vehicle, Taurus–Littrow, December 1972. (NASA, public domain)

Primary Achievement

Longest crewed lunar mission & most samples returned

Mission Objectives

Conduct final crewed lunar exploration at Taurus–Littrow valley
Return maximum lunar samples — 110.5 kg collected
Study ancient lunar geology and volcanic history
Deploy and operate ALSEP science package
Set records for longest EVA, greatest distance driven, largest sample return

Timeline Events

1972-12-07T05:33Z — Night launch from Kennedy Space Center
1972-12-11 — Challenger lands at Taurus–Littrow
1972-12-11 — First EVA — ALSEP deployment
1972-12-12 — Second EVA — South Massif and orange soil discovery
1972-12-13 — Third EVA — North Massif
1972-12-14T22:54Z — Cernan is last human to walk on Moon
1972-12-19 — Crew splashdown, Pacific Ocean

Related Missions

Apollo 16 (1972) · NASA
Apollo 15 (1971) · NASA

Historical & Technical Sources

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