Dec. 11: Apollo 17 Astronauts Land on the Moon
On Dec. 11, 1972, Apollo 17 became the last mission to launch humans on the moon. With two astronauts on board, the lunar module Challenger touched down in an area called the Taurus-Littrow valley, where they spent three days doing moonwalks and collecting samples. Commander Gene Cernan was the last person to set foot on the lunar surface as he followed the lunar module pilot, Harrison Schmitt, back into the spacecraft on the last day.