Apollo 17 liftoff, NASA, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_17#/media/File:Apollo_17_liftoff.jpg
On December 11th, 1972, the Lunar Module Challenger landed in the Taurus-Littrow valley on the surface of the Moon. The astronauts aboard, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt, were part of the Apollo 17 crew, and would become the last men to walk on the moon.
During their mission, the Apollo 17 crew set many new records as well, including longest Moon landing, longest total moonwalks, largest lunar sample, longest time in lunar orbit, and most lunar orbits (75 total). Apollo 17 was also the first and only Apollo mission to launch at night, leaving Launch Pad 39A thirty-three minutes after midnight in an fiery display, leaving a red streak across the sky visible as far away as Miami as it ascended into space.
Since Apollo 17’s departure, Pad 39A has served to launch the Space Shuttle, and more recently, SpaceX’s crewed missions. And while the Moon has not seen us since Apollo 17’s departure from its surface, it still beckons in the night sky, waiting for us to return.
As we wait for our next adventure to the Moon and beyond, we hope that you will find adventure in the pages of our most recent e-zine issue. Like the Apollo 17 astronauts, a medieval bard makes a voyage of discovery in To A Better Time. In Hatching A Side Job, episode 2 of the Trent-Featherstone Journals, Blanche and Cordelia make a trip home through space, but their destination is Mars, not Earth. And in Star Harvest, a young twelve-year-old makes a living in space.
Until next time, keep the spirit of adventure alive.