The 1972 moon landing, which was the final human expedition to the Moon, occurred on December 11, 1972.
This historic event was part of the Apollo 17 mission, commanded by Eugene Cernan, with Ronald Evans as Command Module Pilot and Harrison Schmitt as Lunar Module Pilot. Schmitt, a geologist, became the first scientist to walk on the lunar surface.
Apollo 17 Mission Milestones
The Apollo 17 mission involved several key dates and events, marking both its lunar exploration and its return journey to Earth. While the lunar module landed on the Moon in December 1972, the mission concluded later that month with its successful return to Earth.
| Event | Date and Time (UTC) | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Lunar Module Landing | December 11, 1972 | Taurus-Littrow Valley, Moon |
| Earth Landing (Splashdown) | December 19, 1972, 19:54:58 | South Pacific Ocean (17.88°S 166.11°W) |
The mission's command and service module, responsible for orbiting the Moon and carrying the astronauts back to Earth, safely returned to a watery landing in the South Pacific Ocean. This splashdown marked the end of the Apollo program's human lunar exploration era.
