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Apollo 17
Spacecraft
Apollo 17, launched in 1972, was NASA's final Apollo mission and the most recent time humans walked on the Moon, with astronauts spending over three days on the lunar surface conducting experiments and collecting a record 110 kg of rock samples.
Key Facts
organization | NASA |
orbital regime | Inner System |
learn more | Wikipedia |
crew | Gene Cernan, Ronald Evans, Jack Schmitt |
launched | 1972-12-07 |
returned | 1972-12-19 |
launch mass | 48,609 kg |
Mission Timeline
Launched
December 7, 1972 at 05:33 UTC
Luna (The Moon)
Lander
Apollo 17 conducted the final lunar landing of the Apollo program, with astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spending three days exploring the Taurus-Littrow valley while conducting extensive geological studies and collecting 110.5 kg of samples.
Returned
December 19, 1972 at 19:54 UTC
Apollo 17, the final mission of the Apollo program, successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a 12-day journey that included the last human lunar landing and moonwalk in the 20th century.
Related Spacecraft
Apollo 8
Launched in 1968
Crewed by Frank Borman, James Lovell, William Anders
The first crewed mission to orbit the Moon, launched on December 21, 1968, with astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders completing 10 lunar orbits and capturing the iconic "Earthrise" photograph before returning safely to Earth.
Apollo 10
Launched in 1969
Crewed by Thomas Stafford, Gene Cernan, John Young
The Apollo 10 mission, launched in May 1969, served as a full dress rehearsal for the Moon landing, with astronauts flying the Lunar Module to within 8.4 nautical miles of the lunar surface before returning safely to Earth.
Apollo 11
Launched in 1969
Crewed by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins
The first crewed spacecraft to land humans on the Moon launched on July 16, 1969, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins on their historic mission that culminated in Armstrong and Aldrin's 21-hour lunar surface exploration while Collins orbited above.
Apollo 12
Launched in 1969
Crewed by Pete Conrad, Alan Bean, Richard Gordon
The second crewed mission to land on the Moon, launched on November 14, 1969, successfully landed astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean near Surveyor 3 in Oceanus Procellarum for a 31.5-hour lunar surface stay.
Apollo 13
Launched in 1970
Crewed by Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, Fred Haise
A lunar mission launched in 1970 that suffered a near-catastrophic oxygen tank explosion en route to the Moon, forcing the crew to abort their landing and return safely to Earth after a harrowing journey around the lunar far side.
Apollo 14
Launched in 1971
Crewed by Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, Edgar Mitchell
The third crewed mission to land on the Moon launched on January 31, 1971, with astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell spending 33.5 hours on the Fra Mauro highlands and conducting extensive scientific experiments despite communication problems during their lunar descent.
Apollo 15
Launched in 1971
Crewed by David Scott, Alfred Worden, James Irwin
Apollo 15 landed astronauts David Scott and James Irwin on the Moon's Hadley-Apennine region in July 1971, where they conducted three EVAs, deployed scientific instruments, and became the first mission to use the Lunar Roving Vehicle.
Apollo 16
Launched in 1972
Crewed by John Young, Ken Mattingly, Charlie Duke
Launched in April 1972, Apollo 16 carried astronauts John Young and Charles Duke to the Moon's Descartes Highlands where they conducted three EVAs, collected 95.8 kg of lunar samples, and set a lunar land speed record of 17.1 km/h in their rover.
