Apollo 17: The final Moon mission

The last of Nasa's six successful manned missions to the Moon blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida just after midnight on 7 December 1972.

The crew of Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, spent 12.5 days in space, including three days on the lunar surface for Cernan and Schmitt.

Apollo 17 contained many notable firsts, including the first night launch, the first scientist to join an Apollo crew, and excitement over the discovery of orange soil.

Pictures courtesy of Nasa.