Today in History: Last Moon Walk

As I take man's last step from the surface, back home for some time to come - but we believe not too long into the future - I'd like to just (say) what I believe history will record. That America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow. And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus- Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17. -- Eugene Cernan (Wikiquotes; Apollo 17 Transcripts, Lunar On-Board Voice Transcript, Day 8)

Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt  were the last humans to walk on the moon. On December 11th, 1972, they landed the lunar module Challenger in the Taurus-Littrow Valley two hours and thirty-eight minutes after separating from the command and service module which was then orbited by the third crew member, Ronald Evans, the command module pilot.  Cernan and Schmitt conducted over 22 hours of extra vehicular activity (EVA), traveling 19 miles in their rover to collect rock, soil, and other matter from the moon where they also performed experiments to test gravity, seismic activity, and other subjects to better understand its composition and state. At the time it was known to be the last manned mission to the moon for an unspecified period of time, due to the high cost of funding space exploration which instead could be done robotically. American flags planted by the Apollo missions 12, 16, and 17 reportedly still stand on the surface of the moon, and there have been a total of twelve moonwalkers, beginning with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, for Apollo 11 in 1969. Read more about the astronauts on NASA.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning:

• Rhinelander, D.H.  (1972, Dec 06). Apollo Ready for Final Go. The Hartford Courant (1923-) 
• 2 Astronauts Walk, Ride in Lunar Valley. (1972, Dec 12). The Sun (1837-) 
• Langner, P. (1972, Dec 12). Astronauts Land Without a Hitch: A Playful Walk on the Moon. Boston Globe (1960-) 
• O'Toole, T. (1972, Dec 12). Astronauts Land, Begin Moon Exploration. The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973) 
• Farrar, F. (1972, Dec 13). Moonmen Take 2d Ride, Discover 'Orange Soil'. Chicago Tribune (1963-1996) 
• Apollo's Last Walk on the Moon. (1972, Dec 14). Newsday (1940-) 
• Astronauts Take Last Moon Walk. (1972, Dec 14). The Irish Times (1921-) 
• Langner, P. (1972, Dec 14). Last Apollo Moon Walk Ends. Boston Globe (1960-) 
• Apollo Monitors Moon: Orbiting Craft Reports a 2d Orange Patch. (1972, Dec 16). The Sun (1837-) 
•  Grant, J. T (1994, Jul 27). Rocket Booster: Moon Astronaut Urges Renewed Space Exploration. Los Angeles Times (1923-1995) 

Tips:

• Beattie, Donald A. Taking Science to the Moon Lunar Experiments and the Apollo Program. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001. e-book
• Brunner, Bernd. Moon: A Brief History. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010. e-book
• Burleigh, Robert. One Giant Leap. New York, N.Y: Philomel Books, 2009.  Curriculum ; TL789.8.U6 A52423 2009
• Mitchell, Edgar D., Ellen. Mahoney, and Brian. Cox. Earthrise : My Adventures as an Apollo 14 Astronaut. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Review Press, 2014. e-book

Images:

• Candid Photo of Astronauts Cernan and Schmitt Aboard Apollo 17 Spacecraft, Courtesy of NARA
• Apollo 17 - Inflight (2nd EVA), Courtesy of NARA
• Poster Image: Apollo 17, Courtesy Picryl

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