Apollo 17
Mission / eventCompleted
Apollo 17: Land in the Taurus-Littrow valley and investigate materials from both the lunar highlands and the valley floor
Apollo 17 was the final crewed lunar landing of the Apollo program and its most extensive scientific surface . Eugene Cernan and geologist Harrison Schmitt spent more than three days in the Taurus-Littrow valley, completed three traverses, deployed the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package, and collected about 110 kilograms of samples while Ronald Evans operated the command module America in lunar orbit.
Mission photo archive
Reviewed photographs documenting Apollo 17. Every image links to its official NASA catalog record.
Launch of the Apollo 17 lunar landing mission
S72-55482 (7 Dec. 1972) --- The huge, 363-feet tall Apollo 17 (Spacecraft 114/Lunar Module 12/Saturn 512) space vehicle is launched from Pad A., Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, at 12:33 a.m. (EST), Dec. 7, 1972. Apollo 17, the final lunar landing mission in NASA's Apollo program, was the first nighttime liftoff of the Saturn V launch vehicle. Aboard the Apollo 17 spacecraft were astronaut Eugene A. Cernan, commander; astronaut Ronald E. Evans, command module pilot; and scientist-astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt, lunar module pilot. Flame from the five F-1 engines of the Apollo/Saturn first (S-1C) stage illuminates the nighttime scene. A two-hour and 40-minute hold delayed the Apollo 17 launching.
Apollo 17 Mission image - station Lunar Module (LM),LM,LRV,Flag, LMP
AS17-134-20382 (13 Dec. 1972) --- Astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt, Apollo 17 lunar module pilot, stands near the deployed United States flag on the lunar surface during extravehicular activity (EVA) of NASA's final lunar landing mission in the Apollo series. The Lunar Module (LM) is at left background and the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) at right background (partially obscured). The photo was made by astronaut Eugene A. Cernan, commander. While astronauts Cernan and Schmitt descended in the LM "Challenger" to explore the Taurus-Littrow region of the moon, astronaut Ronald E. Evans, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) "America" in lunar orbit.
Apollo 17,Evans perfroms EVA
AS17-152-23392 (17 Dec. 1972) --- Astronaut Ronald E. Evans is photographed performing extravehicular activity during the Apollo 17 spacecraft's trans-Earth coast. During his EVA, command module pilot Evans retrieved film cassettes from the Lunar Sounder, Mapping Camera, and Panoramic Camera. The cylindrical object at Evans' left side is the Mapping Camera cassette. The total time for the trans-Earth EVA was one hour seven minutes 18 seconds, starting at ground elapsed time of 257:25 (2:28 p.m.) and ending at ground elapsed timed of 258:42 (3:35 p.m.) on Sunday, Dec. 17, 1972.
Launch record
Explore this mission’s launch, including its vehicle, launch site, payload, and outcome.
Apollo CM-114
launch attemptDeep-space attemptcompletedNo reviewed launch image8 connectionsMission dossier
Flight profile, locations, hardware, and outcome in the same reference format used throughout the archive.
Flight profile
Places and recovery
Mission record
Trajectory profile
4 sourcesFollow the mission from departure through its flight environment, destination, and final phase. This sequence is not a scale orbital plot.
Mission locations
4 sourcesDocumented surface, test, landing, and recovery locations. Map links use the cited place name or exact coordinates; AstronautAtlas does not geocode or estimate missing positions.
Departure or test site
Launch site
Kennedy Space Center, Launch Complex 39A
Landing site
Landing site
South Pacific Ocean
Landing site
Lunar landing site
Taurus-Littrow valley
Assignment Manifest
The flight crew and the backup team assigned to train for this mission.
Prime crew
3 assignmentsBackup crew
Trained for the mission but did not count as flown unless reassigned to the prime crew.
Mission Purpose
4 sources- Land in the Taurus-Littrow valley and investigate materials from both the lunar highlands and the valley floor.
- Complete three -supported geology traverses and return a large, carefully documented collection of lunar samples.
- Deploy and operate the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package and additional surface instruments.
- Conduct orbital photography, mapping, and scientific measurements from the command and America.
Planned Flight Plan
4 sources- December 7, 1972
Apollo 17 begins
America and Challenger was assigned to Land in the Taurus-Littrow valley and investigate materials from both the lunar highlands and the valley floor.
- Primary phase
Complete three -supported geology traverses and return a large, carefully documented collection of lunar samples
Command and : America (CSM-114); Lunar module: Challenger (LM-12); Surface mobility: Lunar Roving Vehicle 3
- Mission objective
Deploy and operate the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package and additional surface instruments
Apollo 17 operated within Apollo to pursue the program objective.
- December 19, 1972
Apollo 17 outcome
Apollo 17 concluded with the recorded status Completed: Apollo 17: Land in the Taurus-Littrow valley and investigate materials from both the lunar highlands and the valley floor.
Mission Timeline
4 sources- December 7, 1972
Apollo 17 begins
America and Challenger began Apollo 17 to Land in the Taurus-Littrow valley and investigate materials from both the lunar highlands and the valley floor.
Open operation record - Operations
Complete three -supported geology traverses and return a large, carefully documented collection of lunar samples
Command and : America (CSM-114); Lunar module: Challenger (LM-12); Surface mobility: Lunar Roving Vehicle 3
- Defining result
Apollo 17: Land in the Taurus-Littrow valley and investigate materials from both the lunar highlands and the valley floor
Apollo 17 was the final crewed lunar landing of the Apollo program and its most extensive scientific surface .
- December 19, 1972
Apollo 17: Completed
Conduct orbital photography, mapping, and scientific measurements from the command and service module America.