On This Date in 1972: The Last Lunar-Landing Mission Ends

On December 19, 1972, the final lunar-landing mission of NASA's Apollo program ended with the fruitful recovery of the Apollo 17 spacecraft to our planet. Here are some of the important components of the Apollo 17 mission:

Crew:

Commander: Eugene Cernan
Command Module Pilot: Ronald Evans
Lunar Module Pilot: Harrison Schmitt
Mission Objectives:

Scientific Exploration: Apollo 17 had an important aim of conducting scientific and geographic exploration of the lunar surface. It had a preset goal to expand upon the findings of all the other Apollo missions and enhance our scientific understanding of the Moon's geology, composition, and history.

Lunar Module (LM) Activities: The crew spent several days on the Moon conducting experiments, gathering samples, and deploying scientific instruments. Harrison Schmitt, a geologist, was the one and only professional scientist to walk on the Moon during all of the Apollo missions.

Traverse: The astronauts conducted three moonwalks, walking on the Taurus-Littrow region of the lunar surface. For such a challenging environment, they investigated a wide swath of the Moon's surface during their marchings about.

Scientific Payload: Apollo 17 lugged a wide variety of scientific instruments and equipment, including a Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) that allowed the astronauts and scientist to explore a large amount of territory during their explorations.

Sample Collection: The astronauts gathered rock and soil samples, including the famous "orange soil" that was discovered in the Taurus-Littrow valley. These lunar objects provided extraordinary insights into the Moon's geological history.

Notable Achievements:

Eugene Cernan, as the mission commander, was the last person ever to explore the lunar surface. His, and so far mankinds, final words as he left the Moon's surface were, "We leave as we came, and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind." The mission was the sixth and final manned lunar landing of the Apollo program, marking the end of a generation in human space exploration.

Return to Earth: The Apollo 17 spacecraft, consisting of the Command Module "America" and the Lunar Module "Challenger," triumphantly came back to our planet on December 19, 1972. The splashdown occurred in the wide expanse of the Pacific Ocean.

The Apollo 17 mission played a very important part in advancing man's knowledge of the Moon and its geological history. Following space exploration missions have expanded upon the knowledge acquired from the Apollo program, and future plans for lunar travels continue to be a major component of space exploration discussions.

(Image courtesy of WikiImages from Pixabay.com)