428. [Apollo 17] THE FANTASTIC FINAL MOONSCAPES WITNESSED BY HUMANS ON THE MOON, TRAVERSING ON BOARD THE ROVER (2 photos) Harrison Schmitt, 7-19 December 1972, EVA 3 Printed 1972. Two vintage gelatin silver prints on fibre-based paper [NASA images AS17-142-21755 and AS17-142-21784]. Numbered "NASA AS17-142-21755" and "AS17-142-21784" in black in the top margin (issued by NASA Manned Spacecraft Centre, Houston, Texas). Each: 20.3 x 25.4 cm. (8 x 10 in.) Historical context The ultimate off-road experience: Harrison Schmitt's view from the Lunar Rover. These two remarkable images capture Harrison Schmitt's perspective as he rode in the right-hand seat of the Lunar Rover during the traverse from Station 8 in the Sculptured Hills to Station 9 at Van Serg Crater. Navigating the rugged landscape of the Taurus-Littrow Valley, the rover's television camera—remotely controlled from Earth—relayed their activities in real time, allowing scientific colleagues in Houston to monitor the mission and provide guidance. At these locations, the Lunar Module Challenger was nearly 4 kilometres away—an isolating distance that posed a real danger if any issue arose with the Rover, an astronaut's suit, or the LM itself. "Driving on the Moon was the ultimate off-road experience. The Lunar Rover handled steep inclines, crater potholes, and loose rocks very well, its design proving effective even in the one-sixth gravity, which would have allowed a taller vehicle to roll over easily." —Harrison Schmitt (Reynolds, p. 201) A dark floor forms a plain between a ring of high, smooth-profile mountains, bright light grey in contrast to the basalt of the lava-flow valley. The background features the imposing lunar highlands: Bear Mountain and the South Massif (first photograph), and the South Massif (second photograph). From the mission transcript during the rover traverse from station 7 to station 8: 167:50:23 Cernan: This Rover is getting tested for what it was built for now. 167:50:26 Schmitt: Yeah. (Pause) 167:50:35 Cernan: I tell you, it handles just the way it was advertised—maybe even better.