Apollo 17 investigate the possibility of relatively new volcanic activity in the same area. Cernan, Evans, and Schmitt returned to Earth on December 19 after a 12-day mission. Apollo 17 is the most recent manned Moon landing and the most recent time humans travelled beyond low Earth orbit. It was also the first mission to have no one on board who had been a test pilot; X-15 test pilot Joe Engle lost the lunar module pilot assignment to Schmitt, a geologist. The mission broke several records: the longest moon landing, longest total extravehicular activities (moonwalks), largest lunar sample, and longest time in
Ireland lunar sample displays fragment that was cut from lunar basalt 70017. The sample was collected on the moon by Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt in 1972. It was cut into one-gram fragments back on earth and this specimen was enveloped in a plastic ball and mounted on a wooden plaque along with Ireland's flag, which had been taken to the moon and back on Apollo 17. The plaque was sent to Ireland by Richard Nixon in 1973 and is in the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. Ireland lunar sample displays The Ireland lunar sample displays are two commemorative plaques consisting of small