Apollo 17 - The End of an Era

Apollo 17 (December 7 -19, 1972) was the final mission of the Apollo program. It was the first night launch with a three-member crew consisting of Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, It was the last use of Apollo hardware for its original mission. After Apollo 17, extra Apollo spacecraft were used in the Skylab and Apollo–Soyuz Test Project programs. It included a three-day lunar surface stay, extended scientific capability, and the third Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). While Evans stayed in lunar orbit , Cernan and Schmitt spent just over three days on the lunar surface in the Taurus-Littrow valley, conducting three moonwalks, during which they collected lunar samples and deployed scientific instruments.(I have an artist working on the mission and two of the astronauts, who wants to make a tribute to Ron Evans?)

Ronald Ellwin "Ron" Evans, Jr. (November 10, 1933 – April 7, 1990), (Capt, USN), was a Captain in the US Navy and an aviator, electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, Evans made his first and only flight into space as Command Module Pilot aboard Apollo 17 . During the flight, he orbited the Moon as his two crewmates descended to the surface. Consequently, he is the last person to orbit the Moon alone. In 1975 Evans served as backup Command Module Pilot for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission.