The Last Time Humans Left Earth's Orbit  (Apollo 17, 1972)

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Palm Tree

In December 1972, NASA’s Apollo 17 became the last mission to carry humans beyond Earth orbit

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Palm Tree

It was the final crewed mission of NASA’s Apollo programme and the sixth Moon landing

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Palm Tree

Crew included: Eugene “Gene” Cernan (Commander), Harrison “Jack” Schmitt (Geologist), Ronald Evans (Command Module Pilot)

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Palm Tree

Jack Schmitt was the first and only professional geologist to walk on the Moon, marking a shift toward scientific exploration

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Palm Tree

Apollo 17 set multiple records: I. Longest crewed Moon landing II. Most lunar surface time III. Largest amount of Moon samples returned to Earth

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Palm Tree

Gene Cernan left the final human footprints on the Moon, still preserved due to the Moon’s airless surface

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Palm Tree

Several reasons led to the end of Apollo:  High mission costs; Shifting political priorities; Reduced public interest after repeated landings

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Palm Tree

NASA redirected resources to: – Space stations – The Space Shuttle programme – Low Earth Orbit research

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Palm Tree

For over five decades, humans stayed within a few hundred kilometres of Earth — while deep space remained robotic-only

P U G A L I A, I T A L Y

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Apollo 17 ended the journey, Artemis II is about to restart it.

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