Human Spaceflights

International Flight No. 43

Apollo 17

USA

Patch Apollo 17 Apollo program patch

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Launch, orbit and landing data

Launch date:  07.12.1972
Launch time:  05:33 UTC
Launch site:  Cape Canaveral (KSC)
Launch pad:  39-A
Altitude:  167 km
Inclination:  28,53°
Undocking CSM-LM:  11.12.1972, 17:20:56 UTC
Moon landing:  11.12.1972, 02:23:35 UTC
Landing point:  20° 11' 26.88" N 30° 46' 18.05" E
Docking CSM-LM:  15.12.1972, 01:10:15 UTC
Landing date:  19.12.1972
Landing time:  19:25 UTC
Landing site:  17° 88' S, 166° 11' W

walkout photo

Apollo 17 crew

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alternate crew photo

alternate crew photo

alternate crew photo

Crew

No.   Surname Given names Position Flight No. Duration Orbits
1 USA  Cernan  Eugene Andrew "Gene"  CDR 3 12d 13h 52m  1,5 
2 USA  Evans  Ronald Ellwin, Jr. "Ron"  CMP 1 12d 13h 52m  1,5 
3 USA  Schmitt  Harrison Hagan "Jack"  LMP 1 12d 13h 52m  1,5 

Crew seating arrangement

1  Cernan
2  Evans
3  Schmitt
Apollo Command and Service Module

Backup Crew

No.   Surname Given names Position
1 USA  Young  John Watts  CDR
2 USA  Roosa  Stuart Allen "Stu"  CMP
3 USA  Duke  Charles Moss, Jr. "Chuck"  LMP
Crew Apollo 17 (prime, backup and support)

Flight

Launch from Cape Canaveral (KSC). First night launch of the Apollo program. The launch had been delayed 2 hours 40 minutes by a countdown sequencer failure. Landing 560 km west of Samoa Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Final moonlanding with the LM Challenger. Landing site: Taurus Littrow highlands and valley area. The crew performed a heat flow and convection demonstration and an Apollo light flash experiment during the translunar coast. Lunar surface staying time: 75 hours. Three EVAs were performed by Cernan and Schmitt. First EVA on 11.12.1972 (7h 12m), in which the ALSEP was deployed, two geological units were sampled, two explosive packages were deployed and seven traverse gravimeter measurements were taken, among other work.

Second EVA on 12.12.1972 (7h 37m). During this EVA the crew discovered orange soil near the Shorty Crater. Five surface samples and double core samples were taken in this area. Three explosive packages were deployed and seven traverse gravimeter measurements were taken. Observations were be photographed.

The final EVA on the lunar surface for long time on 13.12.1972 (7h 19m). They collected specific samples (basalts, rocks, soil). This time nine traverse gravimeter measurements were taken. At least a plaque on the landing gear of the lunar module, commemorating all of the Apollo lunar landings, was unveiled. All in all 110.4 kg of lunar samples had been collected. Gene Cernan became the last man on the moon

While both astronauts were exploring the lunar surface, Evans was conducting numerous scientific activities in the CSM (America) in lunar orbit, using for example the three new scientific module experiments (infrared radiometer, ultraviolet spectrometer and a lunar sounder),

Evans also performed a trans Earth EVA on 17.12.1972 (1h 6m) to recover several film cassettes, and the crew conducted again several scientific experiments.

The recovery ship was the USS Ticonderoga.

Landing point

Photos / Drawings

Apollo spacecraft with Lunar Module Apollo Command Module

Source: www.astronautix.com/

 
Apollo control panel Lunar Module control panels
crew in training Apollo 17 rollout
Apollo 17 on launch pad Apollo 17 launch
Earth Apollo 17
EVA Schmitt Lunar Module on the moon
Lunar Module trans-Earth EVA Evans
Cernan and Schmitt onboard Apollo 17 Apollo 17 landing
Apollo 17 recovery  

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Last update on October 22, 2010.

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