Episode 72: The Apollo Program, Part XVII

 

Apollo 17 - the final mission of the Apollo Program - was made up Gene Cernan (a veteran of Gemini 9 and Apollo 10) and two space rookies, Ron Evans and Jack Schmitt (both making their only space flights)

The prominent feature of this mission’s insignia is the Greek sun god Apollo, backdropped by what is described as an American eagle. Red stripes on the eagle’s wing mirror those of the US flag. Three white stars above the red bars represent the three members of the mission’s crew. The background includes the Moon, the planet Saturn, and a galaxy or nebula. The eagle’s wing partially overlays the Moon, suggesting humanity’s established presence there. Both Apollo and the Moon are gold, representing the golden age of space flight that NASA hoped would begin with Apollo 17.

The image of Apollo on the insignia was based on the Apollo Belvedere, a sculpture from classical antiquity housed in the Vatican Museum. Apollo is looking forward into the future, towards the celestial objects in the insignia behind the moon. These objects – Saturn and the galaxy – represent humanity’s goals, and the image symbolizes human intelligence, wisdom, and ambition. 

I didn't mention this on the podcast, but Omega put out a limited edition Speedmaster based on Apollo 17's insignia for the mission's 40th anniversary...

and its 45th anniversary!

Apollo 17 was the only Apollo mission with a night launch, lifting off just after midnight on December 7, 1972.

    On the way to the moon, the crew took this picture of Earth - now known as the blue marble - which is one of the most reproduced images in history. This image is actually cropped from the original which has a lot more black space and has the planet oriented with the north pole facing down.

Of course they took an obligatory photo with Cernan by the flag, with the lunar lander Challenger and the lunar rover in the background.

Apollo 17's landing cite - the Taurus-Littrow Valley - and its surrounding area as seen from the command module America.

A still-sealed sample taken during Apollo 17 was opened for the first time in January 2022. These excited scientists has equipment that their 1970s counterparts did not and were able to gain new insights into the moon and its makeup. Their mass spectrometer was even able to capture lunar gases present in the sample. 

You will need to find someone more knowledgeable than I to break down the specifics of the finding - what I read about the findings were beyond my understanding!

The Apollo 17 crew splashed down on December 19, 1972 and were recovered by the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga, the same ship that recovered the Apollo 16 crew.