Apollo 17's Moonship
Awkward and angular looking, Apollo 17's lunar module
Challenger
was designed
for flight in the vacuum of space.
This sharp picture 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.
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
of 1972 - but
where is Challenger now?
Its descent stage
remains at the
Apollo 17 landing site,
Taurus-Littrow.
The ascent stage was intentionally crashed nearby
after being jettisoned from the command module prior to
the
astronauts' return to planet Earth.
Apollo 17's mission
was the sixth and last time astronauts
have landed on the moon.