Explanation:
This view of the Apollo 17 landing site in the
Taurus-Littrow valley was captured last month by the
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), the sharpest ever
recorded from space.
The high resolution image
data was taken during a period when
LRO's orbit was modified to create a close approach
of about 22 kilometers as it passed over some of the Apollo
landing sites.
That altitude corresponds to only about twice the height of
a commercial airline flight over planet Earth.
Labeled in this image are Apollo 17 lunar lander
Challenger's
descent stage (inset), the lunar
rover (LRV) at its final parking spot,
and the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP)
left
to monitor the Moon's environment and interior.
Clear, dual lunar rover tracks
and the foot trails left by astronauts
Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt,
the last to walk on the lunar surface, are also easily visible at the
Apollo 17 site.
