Explanation:
In December of 1972,
Apollo 17 astronauts
Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours
on the Moon in the Taurus-Littrow
valley, while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead.
This sharp image was taken by Cernan as
he and Schmitt roamed the
valley floor.
The image shows Schmitt on the left with the
lunar rover at
the edge of Shorty Crater, near the spot where geologist Schmitt
discovered orange lunar soil.
The Apollo 17 crew returned with 110 kilograms
of rock and soil samples, more than was
returned from any of the other lunar
landing sites.
Now forty years later, Cernan and Schmitt are still
the last to walk
on the Moon.
Follow APOD: on
Facebook or
G+
Follow APOD Bonus Images: on
Facebook or
G+