{"date":"2025-12-06","explanation":"Fifty three years ago, in December of 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours on the Moon exploring the Taurus-Littrow valley, while colleague Ronald Evans orbit ed overhead. This snapshot from another world was taken by Cernan as he and Schm itt roamed the lunar valley's floor. The image shows Schmitt next to the lunar r over parked at the southeast rim of Shorty Crater. That location is near the sp ot where geologist Schmitt discovered orange lunar soil. The Apollo 17 crew retu rned with 110 kilograms of rock and soil samples, more than was returned from an y of the other lunar landing sites. And for now, Cernan and Schmitt are the last to walk on the Moon.","hdurl":"https:\/\/apod.nasa.gov\/apod\/image\/2512\/moon shorty_apollo17_1498.jpg","media_type":"image","service_version":"v1","title":"A pollo 17 at Shorty Crater","url":"https:\/\/apod.nasa.gov\/apod\/image\/2512\/mo onshorty_apollo17_1080.jpg"}
