- FILE PHOTO DECEMBER 1972 - Twenty-five years ago tomorrow, on December 19, 1972, humans returned from another celestial body for the last time following the last Apollo mission. In this file photo, the three Apollo 17 crewmen arrive aboard the prime recovery ship, U.S.S. Ticonderoga, to conclude the final lunar landing mission in the Apollo program. They are Astronauts Eugene A. Cernan (waving), Harrison H. Schmitt (on Cernan's left), and Ronald E. Evans (standing in back). VIPs, dignitaries, officials and Navy personnel give the three crewmen a red-carpet welcome. The splashdown occurred December 19, 1972, about 350 nautical miles southeast of the Samoan Islands.
? QUALITY DOCUMENT