The launch of Apollo 17. Credit: NASA
It was the end of an era. At 12:33 a.m. (EST) on Dec. 7, 1972 the monstrous Saturn V rocket blasted off for the final Apollo mission to the Moon. It was a stunning sight, as it was the first nighttime liftoff of the Saturn V. Aboard the Apollo 17 spacecraft were astronauts Gene Cernan, Ron Evans and Jack Schmitt.
Below are a couple of images and videos from the mission, one video is an overview of the mission, and the other is one of my favorite scenes:
Gene Cernan driving the lunar rover during the Apollo 17 mission on the Moon. Credit: NASA
Jack Schmitt with the lunar rover at the edge of Shorty Crater. Credit: NASA
The famous “Blue Marble” image of Earth taken by the Apollo 17 crew on Dec. 7, 1972. Credit: NASA