Question 1

True or false: The Apollo 17 command module was named 'America' and the lunar module 'Challenger'.

Accepted Answer

True. These were the actual names; 'Challenger' later was reused for the space shuttle that tragically broke apart.

Question 2

True or false: Apollo 17 was launched at night, the only night launch of the Apollo program.

Accepted Answer

True. Apollo 17 launched at 12:33 AM EST on December 7, 1972, making it the only nighttime launch of the Apollo program.

Question 3

True or false: The Apollo 17 lunar module set the record for the longest stay on the lunar surface.

Accepted Answer

True. Apollo 17 spent about 75 hours on the Moon, more than any other Apollo mission, allowing extensive exploration.

Question 4

True or false: Apollo 17's final moonwalk ended with astronaut Eugene Cernan writing his daughter's initials in the dust.

Accepted Answer

True. Cernan scratched 'TDC' (his daughter Tracy's initials) into the lunar surface, a touching personal gesture.

Question 5

True or false: Apollo 17 was the first mission to include a geologist astronaut on its crew.

Accepted Answer

True. Harrison Schmitt, a professional geologist, flew on Apollo 17, making him the only scientist to walk on the Moon.

Question 6

True or false: Apollo 17 was the first mission to have a woman in mission control.

Accepted Answer

False. Frances Northcutt served as a trajectory engineer in NASA's Mission Control Center for Apollo 8 (1968) and subsequent missions, so women were present in mission control long before Apollo 17.

Question 7

True or false: The Apollo 17 crew took a piece of the Wright Brothers' airplane to the Moon.

Accepted Answer

True. A small piece of wood and fabric from the 1903 Wright Flyer flew on Apollo 17 as a tribute to aviation history.

Question 8

True or false: Astronauts on Apollo 17 discovered orange soil near the Taurus-Littrow landing site.

Accepted Answer

True. The orange soil was volcanic glass beads, indicating ancient explosive volcanic activity on the Moon.

Apollo 17 Trivia Questions