Apollo 17

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Today, fifty years later, Apollo’s twin sister Artemis is on her way back from her first trip to the moon. To mark the occasion, here are the artifacts I have on display at work that flew on Apollo 17: annotated flight documents, tools used on the lunar surface, maps used on the lunar rovers and even a large piece of the lunar module meant to be left behind.

A recovered photo from the book Apollo Remastered, “Harrison Schmitt, dressed in his coveralls, has floated through the tunnel, into the Lunar Module for its checkout. He is pointing the Minolta Space Meter (to assess the lighting for the camera settings) back at Ron Evans, who is in the tunnel.” Note the removable arm rest behind him, used to fly the LM in a standing position, looking out the triangular window… I have it on display here in the office (next photo). It was meant to be left behind, and would have been lost, but Commander Gene Cernan brought it back as a personal souvenir from the Lunar Module, a detachable piece of the spacecraft used to fly it.

Largest flown part of an Apollo Lunar Module spacecraft, brought back by Commander Gene Cernan, last man on the moon.
There are so many artifacts in the space collection than I need to share. My favorites are parts of the Lunar Modules that have landed on the moon. No part of those spacecraft are supposed to exist today if the astronauts followed NASA protocol as to what was and was not to be brought through the hatch as they shed weight before the return to Earth, and the upper stage of the LM was jettisoned to crash back into to moon.

By the end of the Apollo program, Commander Gene Cernan of Apollo 17, after taking the last foot step on the moon, felt a certain nostalgia. He detached this armrest from the lunar module and smuggled it back to Earth, contrary to protocol. By a law of Congress in 2013, the Apollo astronauts were granted clear title to artifacts like this that NASA let them keep upon landing.

In a magical moment recently, Rusty Schweickart, the first LM Pilot, showed me the way that he used this armrest while piloting the LM in the standing position (whereby they could look down through the triangular window to see the lunar surface).

Another interesting detail – the beige part looks like a soft pad, but it is rigid glass-reinforced plastic.

Driven Around the Moon in the Rover, and Dropped into the Lunar Dust, Recovered and Brought Back to Earth by Apollo 17 Commander Gene Cernan. It’s One of my favorite “story” artifacts. This pair of scissors was removed from the Lunar Module and brought to the Moon’s surface during all three extravehicular activities (EVAs) as a contingency tool.

Each member of the Apollo 17 crew was issued a pair of scissors. However, Command Module Pilot Ron Evans temporarily “misplaced” his scissors during the trip from Earth. The scissors were needed for a variety of tasks, none more important than opening food bags (and the scissors were needed to cut the heavy-weight bags). So the Moonwalkers left one of the two pairs they had with Evans who flew solo up in the Command Module during the lunar landing.

The second pair of scissors was put into the ETB (equipment transfer bag) to go out onto the lunar surface. As the ETB was being lowered out of the Lunar Module, the scissors fell out of the bag and were almost completely buried in the Moon’s regolith dust!

Mission Control in Houston had to remind the Moonwalkers to bring the scissors back into the Lunar Module after each EVA or they might not be able to eat.

The transcript of the comments between Moonwalkers Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt indicated their concerns about finding the scissors:

Schmitt: “You didn’t by any chance pick up those scissors, did you?”

Cernan: “No, sir.”

Schmitt: “They’re going to be hard to find….”

Cernan: “Well, they were right down there (on the ground below the porch).”

Schmitt: “Oh, boy. I can just still barely see the scissors.”

Cernan: “We ought to get those, before we go hungry.”

The three-foot long lanyard, which is tied to the end of the scissors, is a separate NASA artifact with its own identification number indicated on the tag with a metal snap.

Apollo 17 Lunar Module Star Chart and Star List, Brought Back from the Moon
Moonwalker Gene Cernan signed the certificate of authentication (COA), which states: “This is to certify that the accompanying Apollo 17 Lunar Module Star Chart and Star List were flown in the Lunar Module “Challenger” to the Lunar surface in the Taurus-Littrow region of the Moon. The Apollo 17 Lunar Module flown Star Chart and Star List used with the Alignment Optical Telescope to determine the Lunar Module’s orientation in space or on the Moon. Note that Earth is marked star #47 on the Star List.”

When the Star Charts for Apollo were designed, three stars’ names were made up by Gus Ivan Grissom as a tribute to his fellow Apollo 1 crew members. Star number 3 was named “NAVI,” which is Grissom’s middle name spelled backwards. Star number 17 was named “REGOR,” which is Roger (Chaffee) spelled backwards. Star number 20 was named “DNOCES,” which is Second (Ed White II) spelled backwards. After the tragic deaths of the Apollo 1 crew in a training accident, NASA honored the men by maintaining the names on all of the Star Charts.

The bathroom may seem like a strange place to display one’s prized documents, but it is nice and chilly and devoid of UV light that might damage the artifacts and signatures.

From left to right:

• Apollo 11 crew-signed photograph in mint condition
• Apollo 15 Lunar Rover Map from the first drive on the moon
• Apollo 17 Photo and Contour maps (the big frames) from Commander Gene Cernan and used for the voyage to Shorty Crater, site of the historic discovery of “orange soil”.

Flown & Driven Apollo 17 Lunar Rover Photo Map:

This photographic map was used while driving the Lunar Rover. It was necessary to safely maneuver the Lunar Rover over the Moon’s surface as there were no landmarks to give the astronauts any idea of what was immediately ahead of them. It was sandwiched back to back with the contour map, in the frame to its right.

Commander Gene Cernan, in his letter of certification (below), wrote:

“The second EVA represents the longest traverse by human explorers form the LM. Also, it was on the second EVA that Jack discovered “orange soil” for the first time on the lunar surface at Shorty Crater. Finally, during our stop at Station 2, we found the oldest dated sample that was returned from the Moon. This lunar rover map is one of the few objects actually used directly on the Moon’s surface and is also a rare example of an astronaut flight-certified artifact returned from the lunar surface.”

Commander Gene Cernan

This map, bearing trace lunar dust, was on the Lunar Rover for 22 hours. It was exposed to lunar dust that was thrown up by the Rover’s wheels. The map was used by two human beings while driving on the surface of another world.

The second Apollo 17 Lunar Rover excursion revealed the most important discovery of all the Apollo missions to the surface of the Moon. The discovery of orange soil at Shorty Crater excited Moonwalkers Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt as well as Mission Control in Houston, as it was proof of volcanic activity on the Moon at one time. The excitement is apparent in the following quotes from the Lunar Surface Journal transcript:

Schmitt – “It’s all over!! Orange!!!”

Cernan – “Hey, it is! I can see it from here!”

Schmitt – “It’s orange!”

Cernan – “Wait a minute; let me put my visor up. It’s still orange!”

Schmitt – “Sure it is! Crazy!”

Cernan – “Orange!” Oh, man, that’s incredible!”

Schmitt – “Okay, Gene, we’re going to have to…”

Cernan – “That’s incredible.”

Schmitt – “You need to get a down-Sun color…”

Cernan – “That’s incredible.”

Post-mission quote:

“They have a camera in the back room, and what it showed is that, when the call came over, everyone sort of jumped up in the air, and there was just total loss of control in the back science room.”

In his book, Last Man on the Moon, Eugene A. Cernan wrote, “In years to come, experts would say the orange soil was one of the most surprising discoveries of the entire Apollo program.”

This map may be one of the rarest and most important maps in the history of both cartography and human scientific exploration.

Flown and Driven Apollo 17 Rover Contour Map to Shorty Crater and the Orange Soil

This Contour Interval 10 Meter Map was used while driving the Lunar Rover. It was necessary to safely maneuver the Lunar Rover over the Moon’s surface as there were no landmarks to give the astronauts any idea of what was immediately ahead of them. This map is one of the rarest and most important maps in the history of both cartography and human scientific exploration.

In the letter of certification, on the left, Commander Gene Cernan writes:

“This Contour Interval 10 Meter map bearing trace lunar dust, was especially important as it clearly shows our rover’s second EVA route. It was on this route that we found a moon rock that nearly 4.5 billion years old (and one of the oldest ever returned to Earth) along with orange soil which was evidence of early lunar volcanic eruptions! During those excursions, this map spent over 22 hours outside on the lunar surface within the 1/6 gravitational field of the Moon, while being exposed to the temperature and vacuum of deep space. This historic map endures as one of the few maps ever actually used on the lunar surface itself, and is also a rare example of an astronaut flight-certified artifact returned from the surface of the Moon!”

Commander Gene Cernan

I love how everything was done with typewriters back then.

This one went to the moon for three days, and covered the procedures upon returning from EVA 2, the second moonwalk. (This was the expedition with the clever lunar rover fender repair. Following the guidance from astronaut John Young at Mission Control, they rebuilt the fender using lunar maps and clamps from the optical alignment telescope lamp. )

EVA2 was also the trip to Shorty Crater where the famous “orange soil” was discovered. Shorty is actually an impact crater and the orange soil is an older volcanic deposit. They also used the traverse gravimeter there, and I have a build of that instrument on display as well.

The instructions here read, In short: close the hatch, re-pressurize the LM cabin, doff gloves and helmets…

It comes from the personal collection of Mission Commander Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon. Apollo 17 was the first and only night launch of a Saturn V. 

We are go for Trans-Lunar Injection! From Commander Gene Cernan.

These three TLI cue cards were for the S-IVB stage engine burn that boosted the Apollo 17 CSM and LM spacecraft onto their coast to the Moon. These cards showed the data that appeared on the DSKY display for the Apollo Guidance Computer; during a normal burn, the Nominal cards would be used, and in the event of a failure of the automatic sequencer, the Manual cards would be used. These cards represent the operation of the last TLI burn that propelled humans to the Moon in the 20th century.

These cue cards were carried into lunar orbit on board the Command Module America during the Apollo 17 mission. Each card measures 2.75” x 4.25”, and is headed “Manual SIVB TLI” or “Nominal SIVB TLI”. All cards are also labeled, “Dec. 6 Launch…9/4/72,” and two have numerical notations in Cernan’s hand. The reverse of each card also bears his personal signed flight-certification stamp, and three small swatches of Velcro. 

Fun for signing holiday cards, with graphite that has been to the moon!

This mechanical pencil, with the original ten pieces of 2-1/2 inch lead (graphite) and eraser, was used on the surface of the Moon. The white Velcro on the cap shows trace lunar dust that was transferred from Moonwalker Eugene Cernan’s hand. 

Navigating among the stars, and flown on Apollo 17, the Celestial Navigation Post-Lunar-Landing Star Chart

A critical celestial navigational device used inside the Lunar Module bearing traces of lunar dust. This is a post-landing, 8-inch diameter, circular star chart. All major stars and constellations visible from the Taurus-Littrow landing site are plotted underneath a rotating translucent position locator. The locator has six concentric circular plots, sixty degrees apart, that correspond to position locators set for the Alignment Optical Telescope inside the Lunar Module. The Velcro patch on the reverse shows traces of lunar dust.

“In some ways, when we voyaged to the moon, we were not unlike ancient mariners of the past. The stars were not only to light our way, but were used to guide us to our destination. We had onboard a sextant and telescope similar to what has been used for thousands of years but to make them useful we had to know what the heavens looked like, where the stars were, be able to recognize them and tell our computer through the sextant exactly what stars we were tracking. As a quick reference, we took star charts.. and those star charts of particular importance were the ones we carried to the lunar surface. Our first concern after landing would be to prepare for an immediate lift off in case of emergency. In order to assure that our lift off be successful so that we could subsequently rendezvous with our Command Module, we had to be absolutely sure of our Lunar Module’s position and orientation on the Lunar surface.”

Eugene Cernan, Commander Apollo XVII in accompanying signed letter

When the Star Charts for Apollo were designed, three stars’ names were made up by Gus Ivan Grissom as a tribute to his fellow Apollo 1 crew members. Star number 3 was named “NAVI,” which is Grissom’s middle name spelled backwards. Star number 17 was named “REGOR,” which is Roger (Chaffee) spelled backwards. Star number 20 was named “DNOCES,” which is Second (Ed White II) spelled backwards. After the tragic deaths of the Apollo 1 crew in a training accident, NASA honored the men by maintaining the names on all of the Star Charts.