Apollo 17

Apollo 17, launched in the middle of the night on December 7, 1972, closed out the Apollo program with its most ambitious science mission. Commander Gene Cernan and geologist Harrison Schmitt — the first professional scientist on the Moon — spent three days in the Taurus-Littrow valley, driving the lunar rover over 22 miles and collecting 254 pounds of samples, including the famous orange volcanic soil.

When Cernan climbed back into the lunar module on December 14, he spoke of returning ‘with peace and hope for all mankind’ — and no human has walked on the Moon since. Apollo 17’s samples still anchor lunar science today, and its record-setting surface stay defined the benchmark that the Artemis program now aims to surpass.