Tech History Made on December 19, 1972

On this day in 1972 the last manned Apollo mission returned to earth, thus ending (for now) the moon's exploration by man on foot. On this mission Schmitt and Cernan collected a record amount of geological samples, a total of 240 pounds. Schmitt is also the first and last scientist to walk on the moon. Apollo 17 also broke several other records including the longest manned lunar landing flight, longest total lunar surface extravehicular activities, largest lunar sample return, and longest time in lunar orbit. The famous picture known as "the blue marble" was also taken on this mission. Although many countries have since planned for moon walks, no one has since Schmitt and Cernan left the moon 35 years ago. NASA plans to return men to the moon in 2019 with Orion 17.