![]() ![]() By the mid-1970s the marvels of Apollo-the Saturn V rockets and the spacecraft-were set aside and the national expertise that made them possible was redirected. With Apollo 11, we had fulfilled President Kennedy's 1961 challenge and beat the Soviet Union in achieving a historic feat of exploration. View more objects Why did we stop going to the Moon?ĭespite the remarkable successes of the Apollo Program, the nation gradually lost interest in a program of lunar exploration. ![]() Go behind the scenes with curator Cathleen Lewis and learn about what these boots have to say about the past. The boots that left the last human footprints on the lunar surface now live in the Destination Moon exhibition at the Museum. When the crew of Apollo 17 returned to Earth after their record-breaking mission in December 1971, commander Gene Cernan brought back the pair of lunar overshoes he walked on the surface of the Moon with. Apollo 17 in the Collection Helmet, EV, Cernan, Apollo 17 Object Cover, Oxygen Purge System, Apollo 17 Object Maps, Fender Extension, Lunar Roving Vehicle, Apollo 17 Object Space Food, Gingerbread, Apollo 17 (White) Object Behind the Scenes Above, in the photo on the left are the components in question: a spare wheel and fender (bottom), a fender extension brought back from Apollo 17 (middle), as well as the replacement for the extension made of map sheets and tape on the Moon (top). Repaired Lunar Roving Vehicle fender (Apollo 17).Īt the suggestion of technicians on Earth, Cernan and lunar module pilot Harrison Schmitt taped together several plastic-coated map sheets to make a replacement fender extension. The dark mantle is pocked by several small, dark halo craters that could be volcanic vents all near the landing site. Most of the plain between the massifs is covered by a dark mantle which apparently has no large blocks or boulders, and which had been interpreted to be a pyroclastic deposit. The site was surrounded by three high, steep massifs. The landing site was about 750 km east of the Apollo 15 landing site at Hadley Rille. The Taurus-Littrow landing site offered a combination of mountainous highlands and valley lowlands from which to sample surface materials. Taurus-Littrow, takes its name from the Taurus mountains and Littrow crater which are located in a mountainous region on the southeastern rim of the Serenitatis basin. The final mission in the Apollo lunar exploration program was to gather information on yet another type of geological formation and add to the network of automatic scientific stations. You can see the tracks of the lunar rover, astronaut footpaths, and the lunar module descent stage. In 2011, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter took photos of the Apollo 17 landing site from lunar orbit. Watch Apollo 17 liftoff from the Moon Meet the Astronauts When the Apollo 17 astronauts lifted off from the Moon for the last time, it marked the end of lunar exploration by crewed missions in the 20th century. Astronauts landed on the southeastern rim of the Serenitatis Basin, known as Taurus-Littrow. Scientific objectives included geological surveying and sampling of materials and surface features in a preselected area of the Taurus-Littrow region, deploying and activating surface experiments, and conducting inflight experiments and photographic tasks during lunar orbit. Your support will help fund exhibitions, educational programming, and preservation efforts.īecome a member Wall of Honor Ways to give Host an EventĪpollo 17 was the sixth and final Apollo mission to land people on the Moon. Compared to previous Apollo missions, Apollo 17 astronauts traversed the greatest distance using the Lunar Roving Vehicle and returned the greatest number of rock and soil samples.Īpollo 17 also has the distinction of being the only Apollo mission to carry a trained geologist to walk on the lunar surface: lunar module pilot Harrison Schmitt. Programs Learning resources Plan a field trip Educator professional development Education monthly theme Stories Topics Collections On demand For researchersīring the Air and Space Museum to your learners, wherever you are. National Air and Space Museum in DC Udvar-Hazy Center in VA Plan a field trip Plan a group visitĭiscover our exhibitions and participate in programs both in person or virtually.īrowse our collections, stories, research, and on demand content. Free timed-entry passes are required for the Museum in DC. Visit us in Washington, DC and Chantilly, VA to explore hundreds of the world’s most significant objects in aviation and space history. ![]()
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