Apollo 17 leaving the Moon. In one of the most dramatic images of the Apollo missions, a TV camera on the Lunar Roving Vehicle captures the launch of Apollo 17's ascent module from the Moon. Apollo 17 was launched from Earth on 7 December 1972. Astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt stayed on the Moon for 75 hours, including three excursions on the surface. After leaving the Moon, the ascent module docked with the orbiting command module, piloted by Ronald Evans, for the astronauts' journey home. Apollo 17 re-entered on 19 December 1972, ending the Apollo programme.