39 Years Ago: Final Moon Mission Splashdown: Big Pic
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Dec. 19, 2011 -- On Dec. 19, 1972, the Apollo 17 Command Module splashed-down 350 nautical miles southeast of Samoa in the Pacific Ocean, following the final Apollo flight to the lunar surface.
This final mission of the Apollo Program has the onerous distinction for also being the last manned space mission beyond Earth orbit in 39 years, the anniversary of which is remembered today.
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The three-man crew of Apollo 17 -- Eugene A. Cernan, Ronald E. Evans and Harrison H. Schmitt -- spent 12 days in space and Cernan and Schmitt spent just over three days on the moon, bringing back a record haul of moon rock to Earth. Their moonwalks in the lunar Taurus-Littrow valley were the longest carried out by any Apollo crew.
On Dec. 14, 1972, Cernan climbed aboard the Lunar Module Challenger to begin the trip back to Earth after the successful mission. He became the last person to set foot on the moon.
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In this NASA archive photograph, a U.S. Navy swimmer looks on, standing atop the flotation collar of the Apollo 17 Command Module after Cernan, Evans and Harrison had been helicoptered to the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga.
-- by Ian O'Neill
Image credit: NASA's Human Spaceflight Gallery
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