Apollo 17 - Gene Cernan setting up the final Lunar Flag

A photograph depicting CDR Cernan holding the fluttering American flag with his left hand, which the mission transcripts reveal to be a choreographed routine between Cernan and LMP (and photographer) Harrison Schmitt. After they finished, Cernan reflected aloud on the importance of the moment, noting: "It's got to be one of the most proud moments of my life. I guarantee you ... Houston, I don't know how many of you are aware of this, but this - this flag has flown in the MOCR since Apollo 11. And we very proudly deploy it on the Moon, to stay for as long as it can, in honor of all those people who have worked so hard to put us here and to put every other crew here and to make the country, United States and mankind, something different than it was"