Apollo 17 made the last crewed landing on the Moon

On December 11, 1972, the lunar module Challenger touched down in the Taurus-Littrow valley, carrying commander Gene Cernan and geologist Harrison Schmitt. Above them, command module pilot Ronald Evans orbited alone. It was the sixth and, so far, final time humans have set foot on the Moon.

Apollo 17 was a record-setter. Cernan and Schmitt spent about 75 hours on the surface and logged three moonwalks totaling more than 22 hours—the longest of the program. Riding the lunar rover across the valley, they gathered roughly 110 kilograms of rock and soil, including a famous patch of orange volcanic glass.

No human has walked on the Moon since Cernan climbed back aboard to come home.

Schmitt, a trained geologist, was the only scientist to fly an Apollo mission, and the site was chosen to sample ancient highland material. When Cernan stepped off the surface, he left the last bootprints anyone has made there for over half a century.