On December 7, 1972, Apollo 17, the last of NASA’s Apollo missions, was launched. It marked the end of an era of human exploration of the moon. The mission, led by Commander Eugene Cernan, Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, and Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, was the culmination of the Apollo program, which had achieved the monumental feat of landing humans on the lunar surface.
Apollo 17 was the first night launch of a U.S. human spaceflight and the final manned launch of a Saturn V rocket. The spacecraft took off from Kennedy Space Center at 12:33 a.m. EST on December 7, 1972. The night launch was a spectacular sight, making Apollo 17 one of the most photographed launches in space history.
The mission lasted for 12 days and was notable for several reasons. It was the first to include a professional geologist, Harrison Schmitt. Schmitt and Cernan spent three days on the lunar surface, conducting three moonwalks and collecting a record 243 pounds of rocks and lunar soil samples. The mission also marked the longest lunar surface stay time (75 hours), the largest lunar sample return, and the longest total moonwalks.
Meanwhile, Evans orbited the moon, taking extensive photographs and conducting investigations. Among the significant experiments and studies conducted during the mission was the Biostack II experiment, which aimed to understand the biological effects of individual cosmic ray particles. The mission also carried an automatic camera which took photos of the Earth’s weather systems, and an infrared radiometer that mapped the moon’s surface temperature.
The Apollo 17 mission finally concluded on December 19, 1972, when the command module splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean. The mission’s success marked a significant achievement in the history of human spaceflight and lunar exploration.
However, it also signaled the end of human visits to the moon for several decades. Since Apollo 17, no human has set foot on the lunar surface. The end of the Apollo program marked a shift in NASA’s focus towards the development of the Space Shuttle program and the International Space Station.
In recent years, there has been renewed interest in lunar exploration, with several countries and private companies planning manned and unmanned missions to the moon. NASA’s Artemis program, for instance, aims to return humans to the moon by 2024.
The Apollo 17 mission was a milestone in space exploration and its legacy continues to inspire current and future generations of explorers. It serves as a reminder of what humanity can achieve when it pushes the boundaries of science and exploration.
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