Apollo 17 Lunarscape: A Magnificent Desolation
Apollo 17, NASA
Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 Lunar Module pilot and the
second human to walk on
the Moon described the lunar landscape as "a magnificent desolation".
Dramatic pictures from the Apollo missions to the moon's surface
testify to this apt turn of phrase. Near the Apollo 17 landing site,
Family Mountain (center background) and the edge of South Massif (left) frame
the lunarscape in this photo of
astronaut Harrison Schmitt
working alongside
the lunar roving vehicle. Schmitt and fellow
astronaut Eugene Cernan were the
last to walk on this magnificent desolation.