Apollo 17 took the 11th and 12th people to the surface of the moon and marked the end of the Apollo program. By the time the mission launched, on Dec. 7, 1972, public interest in space exploration had declined and the government had shifted focus to the Vietnam War. These and many other factors brought the program to a close, even though three more flights were originally planned.
Apollo 17 was the first mission to include a scientist in its crew. Geologist Harrison "Jack" Schmitt was one of the first six scientist-astronauts selected in 1965 amid immense pressure to do so from the National Academy of Sciences, which was worried that only test pilots would get the opportunity to walk on the moon.
When it came time to select the final crew, Schmitt was chosen over Joe Engle, who was a backup pilot for Apollo 14 and would have been next in the rotation to fly under ordinary conditions. The usual procedure was for an astronaut to back up a mission and then fly as prime astronaut on the third mission after his backup. Crewmates Ron Evans and Eugene Cernan were upset for Engle. However, they were pleased at the capabilities Schmitt, a geologic trainer for other moon-bound astronauts, showed on the job.
