Apollo 17

Apollo 17 was NASA's sixth and final Apollo lunar landing mission. The Saturn V launched Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt toward the Moon in December 1972. Cernan and Schmitt landed the lunar module Challenger in the Taurus-Littrow valley, a site chosen for its mix of old highland material and younger volcanic possibilities, while Evans remained in lunar orbit aboard the command and service module America. The surface crew completed three EVAs, drove the Lunar Roving Vehicle, deployed experiments, and returned a large geologic sample set. Evans conducted orbital photography, mapping, and scientific-instrument work, then performed a transearth-coast EVA to retrieve film from the service module. Apollo 17 ended with a Pacific Ocean splashdown on December 19, closing the Apollo lunar landing era.