Apollo 17
Generated by Llama 3.3-70BExpansion Funnel Raw 74 → Dedup 30 → NER 19 → Enqueued 12
| Apollo 17 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mission name | Apollo 17 |
| Crew | Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, Harrison Schmitt |
| Launch vehicle | Saturn V |
| Launch site | Kennedy Space Center |
| Launch date | December 7, 1972 |
| Landing site | Pacific Ocean |
| Landing date | December 19, 1972 |
Apollo 17 was the final mission of the United States NASA Apollo program, crewed by Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt, and launched by a Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center on December 7, 1972. The mission was supported by Christopher C. Kraft Jr., Glynn Lunney, and Gene Kranz from NASA's Johnson Space Center. The Apollo 17 spacecraft was equipped with a Lunar Roving Vehicle designed by Marvin Graves and Ferenc Pavlics of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.
Mission Overview
The primary objective of the mission was to conduct lunar surface experiments and gather lunar samples in the Taurus-Littrow valley, a region of interest due to its unique geological features, including the Sea of Serenity and the Apennine Mountains. The mission was also supported by Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System and Deep Space Network stations in Goldstone, California, Honeysuckle Creek, and Madrid. The Apollo 17 mission was preceded by Apollo 16 and followed by the Skylab program, which included Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4.
Crew and Support
The crew of Apollo 17 consisted of Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt, with Eugene Cernan serving as the mission commander, Ronald Evans as the command module pilot, and Harrison Schmitt as the lunar module pilot. The crew was supported by a team of flight directors, including Glynn Lunney, Gene Kranz, and Christopher C. Kraft Jr., who worked closely with NASA's Johnson Space Center and NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The mission was also supported by Vladimir Komarov, a Soviet cosmonaut who was part of the Soyuz-Apollo Test Project, and Alexei Leonov, who was involved in the Voskhod program.
Spacecraft and Equipment
The Apollo 17 spacecraft consisted of a Command and Service Module named America and a Lunar Module named Challenger, which was equipped with a Lunar Roving Vehicle designed by Marvin Graves and Ferenc Pavlics of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The spacecraft was launched by a Saturn V rocket, which was designed by Wernher von Braun and Arthur Rudolph of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The mission also utilized a Data Acquisition Camera developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a Laser Ranging Retroreflector designed by University of Maryland and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
Mission Timeline
The Apollo 17 mission began on December 7, 1972, with the launch of the Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft entered into lunar orbit on December 10, 1972, and Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt descended to the lunar surface in the Lunar Module on December 11, 1972. The crew spent a total of 75 hours and 48 minutes on the lunar surface, during which they conducted three extravehicular activities and collected a total of 108 kg of lunar samples. The mission ended on December 19, 1972, with the splashdown of the Command and Service Module in the Pacific Ocean, which was recovered by the USS Ticonderoga.
Scientific Experiments
The Apollo 17 mission included a range of scientific experiments, including the Heat Flow Experiment designed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Seismic Experiment developed by University of Texas at Austin and NASA's Johnson Space Center. The crew also conducted a range of lunar surface experiments, including the Lunar Surface Gravimeter and the Lunar Surface Magnetometer, which were designed to study the lunar gravity field and lunar magnetic field. The mission also included a range of biological experiments, including the Biostack experiment developed by University of Frankfurt and European Space Agency, which was designed to study the effects of space radiation on living organisms. The Apollo 17 mission was followed by the Viking program, which included Viking 1 and Viking 2, and the Mars Science Laboratory mission, which included the Curiosity rover.