On December 14, 1972, the Apollo 17 Lunar Module, carrying astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt, lifted off from the lunar surface, marking the conclusion of the final human mission to the Moon. This departure signaled the end of the Apollo program's lunar landings, a record that has stood for over 50 years. Credit: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | History In Pictures

Right after leaving Earth, Apollo 17’s Command and Service Module America flipped around to dock with the Lunar Module Challenger inside the Saturn upper stage. This sequence shows that approach and capture, the first step toward the last Apollo landing. Follow @spaceeves #Apollo17 #MoonLanding #SpaceHistory | SpaceEve

This rare footage shows Apollo 17 Command Module Pilot Ron Evans performing a Deep Space EVA, one of the most extraordinary spacewalks ever conducted. Filmed on 16 mm during the journey home from the Moon, the EVA took place hundreds of thousands of kilometers from Earth. Evans exited the spacecraft to retrieve film canisters from the Scientific Instrument Module of the Service Module, securing invaluable data gathered during the mission. Apollo 17 remains the last crewed mission to the Moon, an