Apollo 17 CSM

"America"
NSSDC ID: 72-096A

Description:
The Apollo 17 mission was the sixth and last of the manned lunar
landing missions in the Apollo series. The crewmen were com-
mander Eugene A. Cernan, command module (CM) pilot Ronald E.
Evans, and lunar module (LM) pilot (the first scientist to go to the
moon) Harrison H. Schmitt. The lunar module carrying astronauts
Cernan and Schmitt landed on the moon on the morning of
December 11, in the Taurus-Littrow area at 20 deg 10 min N, 30
deg 48 min E and, in a valley 11 km wide between mountains
1500 m high in the north and 2000 m high in the southwest. This
location is on the SE rim of Mare Serenitatis. The astronauts
remained on the surface for 73 h. Astronaut Evans remained in the
CM in orbit and conducted experiments while the others were on
the surface. Astronauts Cernan and Schmitt had a lunar roving
vehicle (LRV) and rode to distances up to about 3 km from the LM.
There were three periods of extravehicular activity (EVA) on the
surface in which the astronauts deployed the Apollo lunar surface
experiments package (ALSEP) and conducted geological studies
of a variety of lunar features. Orange-colored material was found
for the first time on any of the Apollo missions. The Apollo 17 
spacecraft was launched on December 7, 1972, and was injected
into lunar orbit on December 10. The LM (72-096C) landed on the
moon on December 11 and returned to the CM on December 14.
The CM left lunar orbit on December 16 and returned to Earth on
December 19, 1972.