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Apollo 17 and Taurus of Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
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NASA's Hubble Looks for Poss
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NASA's Hubble Looks for Possible Moon Resources |
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NASA's Hubble Looks for Poss
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NASA's Hubble Looks for Possible Moon Resources |
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NASA's Hubble Looks for Poss
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NASA's Hubble Looks for Possible Moon Resources |
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NASA's Hubble Looks for Poss
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NASA's Hubble Looks for Possible Moon Resources |
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NASA's Hubble Looks for Poss
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NASA's Hubble Looks for Possible Moon Resources |
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NASA's Hubble Looks for Poss
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NASA's Hubble Looks for Possible Moon Resources |
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Apollo 17: VIP Site Anaglyph
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Apollo 17: VIP Site Anaglyph |
| Explanation |
Get out your red/blue glasses and check out [ http://www.apolloarchive.com/apollo_gallery.html ] this stereo scene from Taurus-Littrow valley on the Moon! The color anaglyph [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaglyph_image ] features a detailed [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040417.html ] 3D view of Apollo 17's Lunar Rover [ http://www.batsinthebelfry.com/rover/index.php ] in the foreground -- behind it lies the Lunar Module and distant lunar hills. Because the world was going to be able to watch [ http://history.nasa.gov/40thann/videos.htm ] the Lunar Module's [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060107.html ] ascent stage liftoff via the rover's TV camera, this parking place [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ landing_sites.html ] was also known as the VIP [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Very_Important_Person_(person) ] Site. In December [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040605.html ] of 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours on the Moon, while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead. The crew returned with 110 kilograms of rock and soil [ http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/cchoice/moonrocks/ moonrocks6.htm ] samples, more than from any of the other lunar landing sites. Cernan and Schmitt are still the last to walk [ http://www.alanbeangallery.com/ ] (or drive) on the Moon [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/frame.html ]. |
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Apollo 17's Moonship
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Apollo 17's Moonship |
| Explanation |
Awkward and angular looking, Apollo 17's lunar module Challenger [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/database/www-nmc?72-096C ] was designed for flight [ http://users.specdata.com/home/pullo/lm_mis1.htm ] in the vacuum of space. This sharp picture from the command module America [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/database/www-nmc?72-096A ], shows Challenger's ascent stage in lunar orbit. Small reaction control thrusters are at the sides of the moonship with the bell of the ascent rocket engine itself underneath. The hatch allowing access to the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17main.html ] is visible in the front and a round radar antenna appears at the top. This spaceship performed gracefully, landing on the moon and returning the Apollo astronauts to the orbiting command module in December of 1972 - but where is Challenger now? [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apolloloc.html ] Its descent stage remains at the Apollo 17 landing site, Taurus-Littrow [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/Apollo17/A17_lsite.html ]. The ascent stage was intentionally crashed nearby after being jettisoned from the command module prior to the astronauts' return [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.homeward.html ] to planet Earth. Apollo 17's mission [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970504.html ] was the sixth and last time astronauts have landed on the moon. |
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Strange Orange Soil on the M
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Strange Orange Soil on the Moon |
| Explanation |
How did orange soil appear on the Moon? This mystery began [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010523.html http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a17/a17.sta4.html ] when astronaut Harrison Schmidt [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010523.html http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.crew.html#jackbio ] noticed the off-color patch near Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001209.html ]'s Taurus-Littrow [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/Apollo17/A17_lsite.html ] landing site in 1972. Schmidt and fellow astronaut Eugene Cernan [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.crew.html#genebio ] scooped up some of the unusual orange soil [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a17/a17.sta4.html ] for detailed inspection back on Earth. Pictured above [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS17/10076006.htm ] is a return sample shown greatly magnified, with its discovery location shown in the inset [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS17/10075960.htm ]. The orange soil [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/Apollo17/A17_sampact.html ] contains particles less than 0.1 millimeter across, some of the smallest particles yet found on the Moon [ http://www.nasm.edu/galleries/attm/wl.so.1.html ]. Lunar geologists now think that the orange soil [ http://www.solarviews.com/cap/moon/moondust.htm ] was created during an ancient fire-fountain [ http://www.solarviews.com/cap/volc/fountain.htm ]. Detailed chemical and dating analyses indicate [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1996LPI....27..303D ] that during an explosive volcanic eruption 3.64 billion years ago, small drops [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000322.html ] of molten rock cooled rapidly into the nearly spherical colored grains. The origin of some of the unusual elements found in the soil [ http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/curator/lunar/lunar.htm ], however, remains unknown. |
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Apollo 17's Lunar Rover
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Apollo 17's Lunar Rover |
| Explanation |
In December of 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001209.html ] astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours exploring [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] the Moon's Taurus-Littrow valley [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/Apollo17/A17_lsite.html ] while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead. Cernan and Schmitt were the last humans to walk or ride on the Moon - aided in their explorations [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010523.html ] by a Lunar Roving Vehicle [ http://www-sn.jsc.nasa.gov/PlanetaryMissions/EXLibrary/docs/ ApolloCat/Part1/LRV.htm ]. The skeletal-looking lunar rover was [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ lrvhand.html ] just over 10 feet long, 6 feet wide and easily carried astronauts, equipment, and rock samples in the Moon's [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/moonfact.html ] low gravity (about 1/6 Earth's). In this picture [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/images17.html ], Cernan stands at the back of the rover which carried the two astronauts in lawn-chair style seats. An umbrella-shaped high gain antenna and TV camera are mounted in the front. Powered by four 1/4 horsepower electric motors, one for each wheel [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990501.html ], this rover was driven a total of about 18 miles across the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/frame.html ]. Its estimated top speed was a blazing 8 miles per hour. |
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Apollo 17: Shorty Crater Pan
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Apollo 17: Shorty Crater Panorama |
| Explanation |
In December of 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/Apollo17/ Apollo17.html ] astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours on the Moon [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ ] in the Taurus-Littrow [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17OTM.html ] valley, while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead. This sharp panorama is digitally stitched together from pictures taken by Cernan as he and Schmitt roamed the valley floor [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040417.html ]. Starting with a view of the imposing South Massif, scrolling the panorama to the right will reveal Schmitt and the lunar rover [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040605.html ] at the edge of Shorty Crater, near the spot where geologist Schmitt discovered orange [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010523.html ] lunar soil. The Apollo 17 crew returned with 110 kilograms of rock [ http://www.nasm.si.edu/exhibitions/cchoice/moonrocks/ moonrocks6.htm ] and soil samples, more than was returned from any of the other lunar landing sites [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ landing_sites.html ]. Now thirty five years later, Cernan and Schmitt are still the last [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051210.html ] to walk on the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060826.html ]. |
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Apollo 17's Moonship
| Title |
Apollo 17's Moonship |
| Explanation |
Awkward and angular looking, Apollo 17's lunar module Challenger [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/1972-096A.html ] was designed for flight [ http://users.specdata.com/home/pullo/lm_mis1.htm ] in the vacuum of space. This sharp picture from the command module America [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/1972-096C.html ], shows Challenger's ascent stage in lunar orbit. Small reaction control thrusters are at the sides of the moonship with the bell of the ascent rocket engine itself underneath. The hatch allowing access to the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17main.html ] is visible in the front and a round radar antenna appears at the top. This spaceship performed gracefully, landing on the moon and returning the Apollo astronauts to the orbiting command module in December of 1972 - but where is Challenger now? [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/ apolloloc.html ] Its descent stage remains [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ ls_17_5aa.html ] at the Apollo 17 landing site [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ landing_sites.html ], Taurus-Littrow [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/Apollo17/ A17_lsite.html ]. The ascent stage was intentionally crashed nearby after being jettisoned from the command module prior to the astronauts' return [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.homeward.html ] to planet Earth. Apollo 17's mission [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970504.html ] was the sixth and last time astronauts have landed on the moon. "Editor's note:" Eric Jones, Apollo Lunar Surface Journal [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/ frame.html ] editor, comments, "If you look at the [... large, dark] triangular window, you'll see a bright rectangular area - which is the rendezvous window - beneath it, a bright arc. After much discussion, my team of volunteers and I concluded that the bright arc is the top of [mission commander] Gene Cernan's bubble helmet lit by sunlight ..." |
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Lunar Module at Taurus-Littr
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Lunar Module at Taurus-Littrow |
| Explanation |
Can the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://hubblesite.org/ ] take a picture that shows the Apollo lunar modules [ http://users.specdata.com/home/pullo/lm_mis1.htm ] on the Moon? With its 2.4 meter diameter mirror [ http://hubblesite.org/sci.d.tech/nuts_.and._bolts/optics/ ], the smallest object that the Hubble can resolve [ http://astrosun.tn.cornell.edu/courses/astro201/ purpose.htm ] at the Moon's distance [ http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html ] of around 400,000 kilometers is about 80 meters across. So, from low Earth orbit even Hubble's sharp vision can not image the Apollo lunar module descent stages, at most a few meters across, left behind [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981213.html ] at the lunar landing sites [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/ apolloland.html ]. A space telescope over ten times the size of Hubble could ... or a much smaller telescope in close lunar orbit. In fact, this picture does just resolve Apollo 17's Lunar Module, Challenger [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020105.html ], and its shadow on the cratered floor [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020128.html ] of the Taurus-Littrow valley in the Moon's Mare [ http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/lunarform/ maria.html ] Serenitatis. It was taken in 1972 from the Apollo 17 Command Module, America [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/ 1972-096A.html ], orbiting about 100 kilometers above the Moon's surface and covers an area about 1.1 kilometers wide. Using a web site [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ landing_sites.html ] created by Dan Durda of Southwest Research Institute, armchair astronauts can explore orbital views of this and the 5 other Apollo [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/apollo.html ] lunar landing sites. |
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Apollo 17: Last on the Moon
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Apollo 17: Last on the Moon |
| Explanation |
In December of 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020128.html ] astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] on the Moon, in the Taurus-Littrow valley [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/ expmoon/Apollo17/A17_lsite.html ], while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020628.html ]. Near the beginning of their third and final excursion [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.eva3prep.html ] across the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ ], Schmitt took this picture of Cernan flanked by an American flag and their lunar rover's [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010609.html ] umbrella-shaped high-gain antenna. The prominent [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/ a17.fam-mtn.html ] Sculptured Hills lie in the background while Schmitt's reflection can just be made out in Cernan's helmet. The Apollo 17 crew [ http://www.ari.net/nss/askastro/Apollo17/ home.html ] returned with 110 kilograms of rock and soil samples, more than from any of the other lunar landing sites [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ landing_sites.html ]. And after thirty years, Cernan and Schmitt are still the last to walk [ http://www.alanbeangallery.com/ ] on the Moon. |
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Apollo 17: Boulder in Stereo
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Apollo 17: Boulder in Stereo |
| Explanation |
Humans left the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021212.html ] over thirty years ago, but donning red-blue glasses [ http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/mpf/ glasses.html ] (red for the left eye) you can share this excellent stereo [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010310.html ] perspective view of their last stomping ground. Recorded [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS17/ 10075973.htm ] by Eugene Cernan, the scene depicts his fellow astronaut and geologist Harrison Schmitt next to a large split boulder on the floor of the narrow Taurus-Littrow valley located at the eastern edge of the lunar Mare Serenitatis. Parked nearby, their lunar rover [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010609.html ] is visible beyond the boulder at the right. During their stay the Apollo 17 astronauts explored [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ ] the unusually dark terrain at the Taurus-Littrow landing site [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ landing_sites.html ] and deployed explosives to test [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/ Apollo17/A17_Experiments_LSPE.html ] the internal geology of the Moon. Apollo 17 returned the most lunar rocks and soil samples of any lunar mission [ http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/tv/foxapollo.html ]. |
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Apollo 17: Boulder on the Mo
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| Title |
Apollo 17: Boulder on the Moon |
| Explanation |
Twenty five years ago humans roamed the Moon [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/LunarTop10.html ]. Pictured here during the last moon landing [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970504.html ], scientist-astronaut Harrison Schmitt [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.crew.html#jackbio ] was photographed [ http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/AS17/10075973.htm ] standing next to a huge, split boulder. Apollo 17 [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/AS17/Apollo17_fact.html ] was one of six missions that landed humans on the moon [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/ ] and returned them safely. Apollo 17 [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/AS17/Apollo17_MissionObj.html ] explored the unusually dark terrain at the Taurus-Littrow landing site, deployed explosives to test the internal geology of the Moon [ http://bang.lanl.gov/solarsys/apo17.htm ], and returned the most rocks of any lunar mission. |
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Apollo 17's Lunar Rover
| Title |
Apollo 17's Lunar Rover |
| Explanation |
In December of 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap031109.html ] astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours exploring [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] the Moon's Taurus-Littrow valley [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/Apollo17/ A17_lsite.html ] while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020628.html ]. Cernan and Schmitt were the last humans to walk or ride on the Moon - aided in their explorations [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010523.html ] by a Lunar Roving Vehicle [ http://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/HumanExplore/Exploration/ EXLibrary/docs/ApolloCat/Part1/LRV.htm ]. The skeletal-looking lunar rover was [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ lrvhand.html ] just over 10 feet long, 6 feet wide and easily carried astronauts, equipment, and rock samples in the Moon's [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/moonfact.html ] low gravity (about 1/6 Earth's). In this picture [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/images17.html ], Cernan stands at the back of the rover which carried the two astronauts in lawn-chair style seats. An umbrella-shaped high gain antenna and TV camera are mounted in the front. Powered by four 1/4 horsepower electric motors, one for each wheel [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040417.html ], this rover was driven a total of about 18 miles across the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/frame.html ]. Its estimated top speed was a blazing 8 miles per hour. |
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Apollo 17's Moonship
| Title |
Apollo 17's Moonship |
| Explanation |
Awkward and angular looking, Apollo 17's lunar module Challenger [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/database/www-nmc?72-096C ] was designed for flight [ http://users.specdata.com/home/pullo/lm_mis1.htm ] in the vacuum of space. This sharp picture from the command module America [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/database/www-nmc?72-096A ], shows Challenger's ascent stage in lunar orbit. Small reaction control thrusters are at the sides of the moonship with the bell of the ascent rocket engine itself underneath. The hatch allowing access to the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17main.html ] is visible in the front and a round radar antenna appears at the top. This spaceship performed gracefully, landing on the moon and returning the Apollo astronauts to the orbiting command module in December of 1972 - but where is Challenger now? [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apolloloc.html ] Its descent stage remains at the Apollo 17 landing site, Taurus-Littrow [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/Apollo17/A17_lsite.html ]. The ascent stage crashed nearby after being jettisoned from the command module prior to the astronauts' return [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.homeward.html ] to planet Earth. Apollo 17's mission [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970504.html ] was the sixth and last time astronauts have landed on the moon. |
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Apollo 17's Lunar Rover
| Title |
Apollo 17's Lunar Rover |
| Explanation |
In December of 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960420.html ] astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours exploring [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] the Moon's Taurus-Littrow valley [ http://cass.jsc.nasa.gov/pub/expmoon/Apollo17/A17_lsite.html ] while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead. Cernan and Schmitt were the last humans to walk or ride on the Moon - aided in their explorations by a Lunar Roving Vehicle [ http://www.nasm.edu/APOLLO/AS15/LRV.html ]. The skeletal-looking lunar rover was just over 10 feet long, 6 feet wide and easily carried astronauts, equipment, and rock samples in the Moon's [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/moonfact.html ] low gravity (about 1/6 Earth's). In this picture [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/images17.html ], Cernan stands at the back of the rover which carried the two astronauts in lawn-chair style seats. An umbrella-shaped high gain antenna and TV camera are mounted in the front. Powered by four 1/4 horsepower electric motors, one for each wheel [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990501.html ], this rover was driven a total of about 18 miles across the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/frame.html ]. Its estimated top speed was nearly 8 miles per hour. |
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Apollo 17's Moonship
| Title |
Apollo 17's Moonship |
| Explanation |
Awkward and angular looking, Apollo 17's lunar module Challenger [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/1972-096C.html ] was designed for flight in the vacuum of space. This picture from command module America [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/1972-096A.html ], shows Challenger's ascent stage in lunar orbit. Small reaction control thrusters are at the sides of the moonship [ http://users.specdata.com/home/pullo/lm_mis1.htm ] with the bell of the ascent rocket engine underneath. The hatch allowing access to the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17main.html ] is seen at the front, with a round radar antenna at the top. Mission commander Gene Cernan is just visible through the dark, triangular window. This spaceship performed gracefully, landing on the Moon and returning the Apollo astronauts to the orbiting command module in December of 1972. So where is Challenger now? [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/ apolloloc.html ] Its descent stage remains [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ ls_17_5aa.html ] at the Apollo 17 landing site [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ landing_sites.html ], Taurus-Littrow. The ascent stage was intentionally crashed nearby after being jettisoned from the command module prior to the astronauts' return [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.homeward.html ] to planet Earth. Apollo 17's mission [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051210.html ] was the sixth and last time astronauts have landed on the Moon. |
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Apollo 17: Last on the Moon
| Title |
Apollo 17: Last on the Moon |
| Explanation |
In December of 1972, Apollo 17 [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap051210.html ] astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17j.html ] on the Moon, in the Taurus-Littrow valley [ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/expmoon/Apollo17/ A17_lsite.html ], while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020628.html ]. Near the beginning of their third and final excursion [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.eva3prep.html ] across the lunar surface [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ ], Schmitt took this picture of Cernan flanked by an American flag and their lunar rover's [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/lrvhand.html ] umbrella-shaped high-gain antenna. The prominent [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/ a17.fam-mtn.html ] Sculptured Hills lie in the background while Schmitt's reflection can just be made out in Cernan's helmet. The Apollo 17 crew [ http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/imagery/apollo/ AS17/a17crew.htm ] returned with 110 kilograms of rock and soil samples, more than from any of the other lunar landing sites [ http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/Apollo/ landing_sites.html ]. Cernan and Schmitt are still the last to walk on the Moon [ http://www.alanbeangallery.com/ ]. |
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