[APOLLO 17] THE LAUNCH OF APOLLO 17. VINTAGE NASA "RED NUMBER" PHOTOGRAPH, 7 DECEMBER 1972.

The Vintage NASA Photo Collection of Philip Kulpa

[APOLLO 17] 

THE LAUNCH OF APOLLO 17. 7 DECEMBER 1972.

Vintage NASA “Red Number” chromogenic color photograph, 10 by 8 inches, “A Kodak Paper” watermark to verso. NASA image ID “NASA S-72-55070” printed in upper left margin in red; minor toning, neat annotations in black ballpoint to recto and verso, not affecting image.

A dramatic image of the massive, 363-feet tall Apollo 17 launch vehicle lifting off from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, at 12:33am (EST) on 7 December 1972. Apollo 17 was the final lunar landing mission in NASA's Apollo program, and the first nighttime liftoff of the Saturn V launch vehicle. Aboard the spacecraft were Commander Gene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ron Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt.