Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Cernan Evans Schmitt
Launched: December 7, 1972 Landed: December 11, 1972 Splashdown: December 19, 1972
"...America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow."
Apollo 17 was the final Apollo mission and the crowning achievement of the entire Apollo program. The mission set numerous Apollo program records: the longest mission, the greatest amount of time on the Moon's surface, the largest lunar samples, and the longest period orbiting the Moon. The universally recognized “Blue Marble” photograph of Earth was taken during this flight. The mission was also the only nighttime Apollo launch. As another first, the crew included Harrison Schmitt - the only scientist (and professional geologist) to land on the Moon. To further the understanding of the Moon's composition, Schmitt and Cernan collected ancient lunar rocks and soil from 22 locations, bringing home 741 separate samples that weighed almost 250 pounds.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Exploration.
Location. 34° 42.663′ N, 86° 39.339′ W. Marker is in Huntsville, Alabama, in Madison County. Marker can be reached from Tranquility Base, half a mile west of Old Madison Pike NW, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Tranquility Base, Huntsville AL 35805, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Young Mattingly Duke (here, next to this marker); Scott Worden Irwin (here, next to this marker); Shepard Roosa Mitchell (here, next to this marker); Lovell Swigert Haise (here, next to this marker); Conrad Gordon Bean (here, next to this marker); Armstrong Collins Aldrin (a few steps from this marker); McDivitt Scott Schweickart / Stafford Young Cernan (a few steps from this marker); Schirra Eisele Cunningham / Borman Lovell Anders (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Huntsville.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on October 27, 2013, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 738 times since then and 12 times this year. Last updated on July 15, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 27, 2013, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.