50th Anniversary of Apollo 17

50th anniversary of Apollo 17

Today the 7th of December marks the 50th anniversary of the last lunar landing mission. Apollo 17 was also the first night launch of the Saturn V rocket. There was a two hour delay which was the first of its kind during the Apollo programme but Apollo 17 lifted off at 12:33 am EST from launch pad 39-A. The launch was said to turn the night into day as the Saturn V rocket lifted off. 

The crew comprised of Commander Eugene Cernan who had flown on Apollo 10, Ronald Evans as CM pilot and Harrison "Jack“ Schmitt who was a professional Geologist as LM pilot. 

The CSM and LM were known by the Callsigns America and Challenger respectfully. Apollo 17 took the famous picture of earth called The Blue Marble.

The Apollo 17 mission was the longest lunar mission lasting 12 days and also holds the record for longest stay on the lunar surface and longest time in lunar orbit among other records. 

On December 11th Cernan and Schmitt landed in the Taurus Littrow valley where they spent nearly 24 hours performing EVAs.

On December 14th Cernan gave his last words before entering the LM

“I'm on the surface; and, as I take man's last step from the surface, back home for some time to come – but we believe not too long into the future – I'd like to just [say] what I believe history will record. That America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow. And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus–Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. "Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17.”

The lunar rover camera unlike Apollo 15, and 16 captured the liftoff from the lunar surface fully. 

The CM pilot Ronald Evans performed one EVA on the return journey to retrieve film.

The spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on December 17th, 1972 and with it the era of manned lunar missions ended