Apollo 17 at Shorty Crater
AI Summary1 min read
TL;DR
Apollo 17 astronauts Cernan and Schmitt explored the Moon's Taurus-Littrow valley in 1972, with Schmitt discovering orange soil near Shorty Crater. They collected 110 kg of samples, the most from any lunar mission, and remain the last humans to walk on the Moon.
Apollo 17 at Shorty Crater
Image Credit: Apollo 17 Crew, NASA
Explanation: Fifty three years ago, in December of 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours on the Moon exploring the Taurus-Littrow valley, while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead. This snapshot from another world was taken by Cernan as he and Schmitt roamed the lunar valley's floor. The image shows Schmitt next to the lunar rover parked along the south rim of Shorty Crater. That location is near the spot where geologist Schmitt discovered orange lunar soil. The Apollo 17 crew returned with 110 kilograms of rock and soil samples, more than was returned from any of the other lunar landing sites. And for now, Cernan and Schmitt are the last to walk on the Moon.