Close-up view of U.S. flag deployed on Moon by Apollo 17 crew

AS17-134-20466 (7-19 Dec. 1972) --- A close-up view of the U.S. flag deployed on the moon at the Taurus-Littrow landing site by the crewmen of the Apollo 17 lunar landing mission. The crescent Earth can be seen in the far distant background above the flag. The lunar feature in the near background is South Massif. While astronauts Eugene A. Cernan and Harrison H. Schmitt descended in the Lunar Module "Challenger" to explore the lunar surface, astronaut Ronald E. Evans remained with the Apollo 17 Command and Service Modules in lunar orbit.