Apollo 17

By Marty McDowell

The first phase of man's active exploration of the Moon came to an end with the Apollo 17 mission. Many questions about lunar science were answered during the intensive activity of the Apollo missions, but many more remain to be answered. Some of the unanswered questions will be answered in the future from data already returned but as yet not fully analyzed, and some will have to wait for data yet to be returned from instruments already in place on the lunar surface. Still other questions must await further exploration.

Facts and Figures
		Apollo 17
			Scientist-Astronaut Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 lunar module pilot, uses an adjustable sampling scoop to retrieve lunar samples. A gnomon is atop the large rock in the foreground. The gnomon is a stadia rod mounted on a tripod, and serves as an indicator of the gravitational vector and provides accurate vertical reference and calibrated length for determining size and position of objects in near-field photographs.

The basic objective of the Apollo 17 mission was to sample basin-rim highland material and adjacent mare material and investigate the geological evolutionary relationship between these two major units. Commander Eugene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, also a professional geologist, engaged in three moon walks for a total of 22 hours and 2 minutes. The Lunar Rover also experienced its first lunar fender bender.

Numerous individual investigations of surface and spatial features have been performed based on the Apollo 17 crew orbital observations and panoramic and metric camera photographs. The scope of these investigations has ranged from studies of the structure of individual craters to studies of the sequences of mare stratigraphy and mare ridges to studies of the solar corona and zodiacal light.

Source: NASA.

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"Astronaut Schmitt became Senator Schmitt from the great state of New Mexico in 1977. He only served the one term. He became a highly-paid consultant after that. " --Sam in Sante Fe

Space References (Videos):
Cosmos. PBS, 2000.
Stephen Hawking's Universe. PBS, 1997.
Hyperspace. BBC, 2002.
Life Beyond Earth PBS, 1999.
The Planets. BBC, 1999.
Understanding The Universe. A&E, 1996.