Apollo 17 launched in the early hours, the only crewed Saturn V night launch, lighting up the Florida coast for hundreds of miles. Commander Eugene Cernan and geologist Harrison Schmitt spent over three days on the lunar surface, collecting 110 kilograms of rock and soil, including the famous orange volcanic glass discovered at Shorty Crater.
The launch itself became a spectacle after a brief delay pushed liftoff into the night sky, and the resulting fireball was reportedly visible as far away as 800 kilometers, turning the Florida coastline into daylight for a moment. It remains the only nighttime launch of the Saturn V rocket.
On board was Harrison 'Jack' Schmitt, a trained geologist and the only scientist to walk on the Moon, whose expertise led directly to one of the mission's great discoveries: orange soil at Shorty Crater, evidence of ancient volcanic fire fountains. Commander Eugene Cernan became famous for a different reason — he was, and remains, the last human being to stand on the lunar surface.
Before climbing the ladder of the lunar module for the final time, Cernan spoke words meant to endure: 'We leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.' More than fifty years later, no one has been back.
Key people: Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, Ronald Evans