Oct 27

Space Rocket History #375 – Apollo 17 – The Last Manned Landing

Gene had a deadlock visual on the landing site. He knew exactly where he was, and the LM had become part of him, responding to his wishes as well as his touch on the controls as they lowered closer to the surface.

View of the Landing site from the LM

Crater Galois at the far side terminator

Landing Site at Taurus-Littrow

 

 

Oct 13

Space Rocket History #374 – Apollo 17 – To the Moon

For the next two days, Jack Schmitt would do a running account of Earth’s weather patterns. One Capcom even called Schmitt the human weather satellite.

Gene Cernan

Ron Evans

Jack Schmitt

 

 

 

Sep 29

Space Rocket History #373 – Apollo 17 – The Launch

At 12:33 A.M. Dec. 7th 1972, “the hold-down arms released and the mighty Saturn V stirred, balanced on a dazzling fireball that grew to the size of an atomic bomb. As a show-stopping spectacular, nothing in the entire space program compared to the night launch.”  Gene Cernan

Lift-Off

Cleared the Tower

Climb to Orbit

 

 

 

 

Sep 15

Space Rocket History #372 – Apollo 17 – Glitches

By the time they reached the elevator, Cernan felt absolutely charmed, and was grinning from ear to ear. His Saturn V sparkled like a 363-foot-high jewel rampant against the night sky, center stage and draped in spotlights.