The date was 7 December, 1972. It was the first time that an Apollo crew had taken off at night, and Apollo 17 was to be the last American mission to the moon. On board the command module, astronaut Eugene A. Cernan was performing the final adjustments. It would be just a few more moments until the earth shook beneath the thrust of the Saturn V rocket. His heart was pounding, but he remained focused on his flight procedures. The geologist and lunar module pilot, Harrison P. Schmitt, was calm. He had undergone intense training over the past five years, and would be the first scientist to set foot upon the Moon. Finally, Ronald Evans would remain in orbit for this mission. He wanted to ensure everything went smoothly for his crewmates during this final trip to the Moon. Thousands of people had come out to watch the evening take-off; it was a unique and historic event. Around the launch pad, things were quiet. There were no birds in flight, only the silence of the night. The rocket was lit up by spotlights, and was making a peculiar sound like the beginning of a storm, or the rising groan of thunder. The crowd began to worry about what might be going on. The monstrous engines would light in less than 10 seconds. The countdown was started, and all eyes were fixed on Saturn V. Then the earth shook, the night caught fire, and the birds scattered. An endless thunder roared, as if emerging from the bowels of the earth. Apollo 17 lifted off and the rocket left the launch pad, cutting through the atmosphere. The crowd marvelled as it blasted off, growing smaller and smaller and leaving behind a trail of smoke. The fire died slowly as the crew entered the stratosphere.
A few days later, Apollo 17 landed on the Moon. Commander Eugene A. Cernan and geologist Harrison P. Schmitt, who was the lunar module pilot, were brimming with enthusiasm. For this mission, NASA had selected a geologically important lunar region: Taurus-Littrow. What was particular about this location was that the valley of Taurus-Littrow was located on the south-eastern border of the Sea of Tranquillity. Around 3.8 - 3.9 billion years ago, an asteroid or a large comet collided with the area where the sea now lies, creating an impact crater some 700km in diameter. Slabs of rock dislodged by the impact had been scattered around the edges of the crater, where great rifts of dust had risen up. All of this had formed mountain chains along the edge of the sea. In certain areas, the rock formations had collapsed immediately after rising up, creating a network of radial valleys, of which Taurus-Littrow was one. The two astronauts could not contain their joy when they spied the lunar surface through the porthole.
“You can see the light from Earth and the double shadow,” Cernan observed. “Dude, look at that rock over there!”
“Incredible, absolutely incredible!” exclaimed Schmitt, the geologist.
There was no time to lose. The astronauts pulled on their suits and prepared the rover – the vehicle designed by NASA to drive on the lunar surface. They spent just under three days exploring the surface, carrying out scientific and biological tests.
Before they climbed back aboard the landing module for the last time, they held a small ceremony to commemorate the end of the Apollo lunar missions. Cernan unveiled a plaque that would remain on the landing site: it showed the two hemispheres of the earth and the visible face of the moon, as well as the location of the various landing sites. Below, there was a message signed by the astronauts and President Nixon. Cernan read it aloud:
“Here man completed his first explorations of the Moon, December 1972. May the spirit of peace in which we came be reflected in the lives of all mankind.”
The Apollo 17 mission included the first astronaut-scientist to land on the Moon: Harrison P. Schmitt. The moon rover covered a total distance of 39.5 miles. The time spent on the lunar surface was 75 hours, and the time in orbit was 17 hours. The astronauts brought back 110.4 kg of material.
Godspeed, Apollo 17!
Alan Alfredo Geday