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Apollo 17’s Moonship

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NASA

Mar 23, 2008
Image Article
Apollo 17's Moonship
Awkward and angular looking, Apollo 17's lunar module Challenger was designed for flight in the vacuum of space. This picture, taken from the command module America, shows Challenger's ascent stage in lunar orbit. Small reaction control thrusters are at the sides of the moonship with the bell of the ascent rocket engine itself underneath.

Awkward and angular looking, Apollo 17’s lunar module Challenger was designed for flight in the vacuum of space.
This picture, taken from the command module America, shows Challenger’s ascent stage in lunar orbit, with lunar module pilot Harrison H. Schmitt and commander Eugene A. Cernan aboard. Small reaction control thrusters are at the sides of the moonship with the bell of the ascent rocket engine itself underneath. The hatch allowing access to the lunar surface is visible in the front and a round radar antenna appears at the top.
This spaceship performed gracefully, landing on the moon and returning the Apollo astronauts to the orbiting command module in December 1972 – but where is Challenger now? Its descent stage remains at the Apollo 17 landing site, Taurus-Littrow. The ascent stage crashed nearby after being jettisoned from the command module prior to the astronauts’ return to planet Earth.Image credit: NASA