Apollo 17, NASA’s final moon landing mission of the Apollo program, took place between December 7–19, 1972.It was NASA’s last moon landing mission, and it remains the most recent human spaceflight past low Earth orbit. Thus, this moon mission was also the last time that we as humans landed on the moon.Apollo 17 was a ‘J-type’ lunar excursion that comprised three days on the lunar surface, enhanced scientific capabilities, and the application of the third LRV (Lunar Roving Vehicle). On December 14 at 5:55 p.m. EST, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt successfully launched the LM ascent stage off the lunar surface. At 2:25 p.m., the Apollo 17 spacecraft returned to the Earth’s atmosphere after a successful trip from the moon and landed safely in the Pacific Ocean, 4 mi (6.4 km) from the USS Ticonderoga rescue ship.If you like reading about Apollo 17, you should read further to know more about it in detail. The answer to the question of what Apollo 17 discovered lies below, along with a lot of information on Apollo 17 and a lot of curious questions that have been answered for you. You could also check out our other facts articles on Apollo 12 facts and Apollo 18 facts.Apollo 17 MissionThe rocket carrying this mission was launched at 12:33 a.m. EST on December 7, 1972. Astronauts Cernan and H. Schmitt landed in the valley of Taurus–Littrow and went on three moonwalks, collecting soil samples and installing scientific equipment. Mission planners selected the landing site to help the mission achieve its primary objectives: sampling lunar highland matter dating older than Mare Imbrium and investigating the potential of recent volcanic activity. Evans stayed in the lunar orbit in the command module and service module (CSM), gathering scientific data and photos of surface features of the moon. On December 19, Gene Cernan, Schmitt, Evans, and the mice returned back from the lunar surface at the decided landing site.Joe Engle, X-15’s test pilot, lost the lunar module pilot responsibility to a geologist named Schmitt on Apollo 17, the first flight without a test pilot on board.Apollo 17 CrewLunar module pilot H. Schmitt, Commander Ronald Evans, and Commander Eugene Cernan were among the crew members, and it was carrying a biomedical experiment involving five mice. Then, in 1969, NASA announced that veteran X-15 pilot Joe Engle, Eugene Cernan, and command module pilot Ronald Evans would be the back-up crew for Apollo 17, which was set to launch in 1971. Commander Cernan, command module pilot Evans, and X-15 pilot Engle were set to be the primary crew of Apollo 17 since the Apollo program normally scheduled a backup team to serve as the main crew after the third mission. Meanwhile, professional geologist Harrison Schmitt was designated as Apollo 15’s backup crew and was scheduled to operate as Apollo 18’s lunar module pilot. In September 1970, however, Apollo 18 was canceled. Following this, the scientist-astronaut community lobbied NASA to find a method to send a geologist to an Apollo landing, rather than merely a pilot with geology expertise. As a result, NASA chose Schmitt to pilot Apollo 17’s lunar module.This issue of the lunar module then became whether the remainder of the Apollo 15 or the Apollo 14 backup crew would fill the two remaining Apollo 17 spots. Deke Slayton, NASA’s Flight Crew Operations Director, finally picked Gene Cernan and Evans. The backup crew was assigned to the Apollo 15 prime crew since this was to be the last lunar trip. Deke Slayton, Flight Crew Operations Director, took them off the mission and replaced them with Apollo 16 prime crew’s Duke, John Young, as well as Roosa from the Apollo 16 backup and Apollo 14 prime crews.Was Apollo 17 successful?Apollo 17 is the last and the most successful Apollo lunar landing mission with zero Apollo 17 crew deaths. The mission set several spaceflight records, including the greatest distance from a spacecraft of mission control during any type of EVA [4.7 mi (7.6 km)], the longest Moon landing, the largest lunar specimen return weighing 243.7 lb (110.5 kg), the longest complete lunar surface EVA (22 hours 4 minutes), the most lunar orbits in deep space (75), and the longest mission duration in moon’s orbit (six days, four hours).The Apollo program cost NASA about $25.4 billion by 1973. In today’s terms, that would mean that it would have cost $194 billion as of 2020.How long did it take Apollo 17 to get to the moon?Due to an unintentional cutoff at the T-30 second point in the countdown of the launch sequencer, the launch was delayed one hundred and sixty minutes. The countdown then continued, culminating in the liftoff of the lunar rover at 12:33 a.m. The third stage S-IVB was re-started at 3:46 a.m. EST to accelerate the spacecraft towards the moon from the landing site with the help of the rocket waiting.The astronauts captured the shot from the lunar rover, now remembered as The Blue Marble of Earth, after exiting Earth’s orbit on December 7. On December 10, at 2:47 p.m. EST, the service propulsion system engine of CSM fired, slowing the LM stack into lunar orbit. The crew started preparing for landing at the landing area in the Taurus-Littrow valley after orbit insertion and orbital stability. On December 11, at 2:55 p.m. EST, the LM landed on the surface of the moon. The landing from the moon took place around 300 ft (91.4 m) away from the intended landing spot. This specific landing location was chosen because a landslide had just been reported, transporting lunar material from the adjacent Taurus Mountains close to the landing site.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Apollo 17 facts then why not take a look at Apollo 15 facts, or Apollo 1 facts.
Apollo 17, NASA’s final moon landing mission of the Apollo program, took place between December 7–19, 1972.
