S72-55937 (19 December 1972) --- The three Apollo 17 crew members arrive aboard the prime recovery ship, the U.S.S. Ticonderoga, to successfully conclude the final lunar landing mission in NASA's Apollo program. They are astronauts Eugene A. Cernan (waving), Harrison H. Schmitt (on Cernan's left), and Ronald E. Evans (standing in back). VIP's, dignitaries, officials and Navy personnel gave the three crew men a red-carpet welcome. Apollo 17 splashed down at 1:24:59 p.m. (CST), December 19, 1972, about 350 nautical miles southeast of Samoa.
