Fifty three years ago,
in December of 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts
Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours
on the Moon
exploring the
Taurus-Littrow
valley, while colleague Ronald Evans
orbited overhead.
This
snapshot from another world
was taken by Cernan as he and Schmitt
roamed the
lunar valley's floor.
The image shows Schmitt next to the
lunar rover
parked at the southeast rim of
Shorty Crater.
That location is
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.
And for now,
Cernan and Schmitt are the last to walk
on the Moon.