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Apollo 17

Occurred 51 years ago

The Apollo Program's last lunar landing mission, and the first to include an astronaut-scientist, landed in the Moon's Taurus-Littrow Valley. This site was picked for Apollo 17 as a location where rocks both older and younger than those previously returned from other Apollo missions, as well as from Luna 16 and 20 missions, might be found.

Mission Type

Lunar Landing

crew

Eugene A. Cernan, Harrison H. Schmitt, Ronald E. Evans

Launch

Dec. 7, 1972

Landing

Dec. 19, 1972
Featured Story

Apollo 17: Mission Details

Mission Objective The lunar landing site was the Taurus-Littrow highlands and valley area. This site was picked for Apollo 17…

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Eugene A. Cernan

Commander

Captain Eugene A. Cernan logged 566 hours and 15 minutes in space—of which more than 73 hours were spent on the surface of the Moon. Captain Cernan was the second American to have walked in space, and one of only two men to have flown to the Moon on two occasions. As the commander of the last Apollo mission to the Moon, Apollo 17, Cernan had the privilege and distinction of being the last person to leave his footprints on the surface of the Moon.

More About Eugene A. Cernan
Eugene A. Cernan in white spacesuit posing in front of American flag
Eugene A. Cernan’s official astronaut portrait for the Apollo 10 mission.
NASA

Apollo 17 Articles

Read more about the final lunar landing mission of the Apollo Program.

Remembering Gene Cernan
5 min read

Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, died Monday, Jan. 16, surrounded by his family. Cernan, a…

Article
50 Years Ago: Apollo 17 Post Mission Activities
16 min read

Following their highly successful mission, the last Apollo Moon landing flight, Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald E. Evans…

Article
50 Years Ago: Apollo 17 Astronauts Return to Houston
4 min read

Following their Dec. 19, 1972, splashdown that ended their successful 13-day Moon landing mission, Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene A. Cernan,…

Article
50 Years Ago: Apollo 17 Splash Down Ends the Beginning of Lunar Exploration
6 min read

On Dec. 19, 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald E. Evans, and Harrison H. “Jack” Schmitt, the first…

Article
50 Years Ago: Apollo 17 Heads Home to Earth
11 min read

On Dec. 14, 1972, following three days exploring the Taurus-Littrow site on the Moon, Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene A. Cernan…

Article
50 Years Ago: Apollo 17 Lands at Taurus-Littrow
20 min read

Apollo 17 entered lunar orbit on Dec. 10, 1972. The next day, astronauts Eugene A. Cernan and Harrison H. “Jack”…

Article
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