Editing Apollo 17 (section)

=== Return to Earth ===
[[File:SH-3 Sea King of HC-1 recovers Apollo 17 astronauts off USS Ticonderoga (CVS-14), 19 December 1972 (Ap17-S72-55974).jpg|thumb|right|Apollo 17 post-splashdown recovery operations]]

Cernan and Schmitt lifted off from the lunar surface in the ascent stage of the LM on December{{nbsp}}14, at 5:54&nbsp;p.m. EST. The return to lunar orbit took just over seven minutes.{{sfn|Orloff & Harland 2006|p=518}} The LM, piloted by Cernan, and the CSM, piloted by Evans, maneuvered, and redocked about two hours after liftoff from the surface. After docking, the crew transferred equipment and lunar samples from the LM to the CSM for return to Earth.{{sfn|Orloff & Harland 2006|p=519}}<ref name=alsjreturn/> The crew sealed the hatches between the CSM and the LM ascent stage following completion of the transfer and the LM was jettisoned at 11:51&nbsp;p.m. EST on December{{nbsp}}14. The unoccupied ascent stage was then remotely deorbited, crashing it into the Moon with an impact recorded by the seismometers left by Apollo 17 and previous missions.<ref name=astronautix/><ref name=alsjreturn>{{cite web|title=Return to Earth|url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.homeward.html|publisher=NASA|editor-first=Eric M.|editor-last=Jones|editor2-first=Ken|editor2-last=Glover|work=Apollo 17 Lunar Surface Journal|access-date=August 22, 2011|archive-date=May 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508061739/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.homeward.html|url-status=live}}</ref> At 6:35&nbsp;p.m. EST on December{{nbsp}}16, the CSM's SPS engine was ignited once more to propel the spacecraft away from the Moon on a trajectory back towards Earth. The [[trans-Earth injection]] SPS burn lasted just over two minutes.{{sfn|Orloff & Harland 2006|p=518}}

During the return to Earth, Evans performed a 65-minute EVA to retrieve film cassettes from the service module's SIM bay, with assistance from Schmitt who remained at the command module's hatch. At approximately 160,000 nautical miles<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/AS17_PAO.PDF |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/AS17_PAO.PDF |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=Apollo 17 Transcripts: Apollo 17 (PAO) Spacecraft Commentary |publisher=NASA|editor-first=Eric M.|editor-last=Jones|editor2-first=Ken|editor2-last=Glover|work=Apollo 17 Lunar Surface Journal}}</ref>{{rp|1730}} (184,000&nbsp;mi; 296,000&nbsp;km) from Earth, it was the third "deep space" EVA in history, performed at great distance from any planetary body. As of {{YEAR}}, it remains one of only three such EVAs, all performed during Apollo's J-missions under similar circumstances. It was the last EVA of the Apollo program.<ref name=astronautix/><ref name="Drew">{{cite web |url=https://www.drewexmachina.com/2017/12/17/a-history-of-deep-space-evas/ |title=A History of Deep Space EVAs |last=LePage |first=Andrew |date=December 17, 2017 |website=Drew Ex Machina |access-date=January 5, 2022 |archive-date=November 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106041314/https://www.drewexmachina.com/2017/12/17/a-history-of-deep-space-evas/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the trip back to Earth, the crew operated the infrared radiometer in the SM, as well as the ultraviolet spectrometer. One midcourse correction was performed, lasting 9 seconds.{{sfn|Orloff & Harland 2006|p=520}} On December 19, the crew jettisoned the no-longer-needed SM, leaving only the CM for return to Earth. The Apollo 17 spacecraft [[Atmospheric entry|reentered Earth's atmosphere]] and splashed down safely in the [[Pacific Ocean]] at 2:25&nbsp;p.m. EST, {{convert|6.4|km|mi|sp=us}} from the recovery ship, {{USS|Ticonderoga|CV-14|6}}. Cernan, Evans, and Schmitt were then retrieved by a recovery helicopter piloted by Commander Edward E. Dahill, III and were safe aboard the recovery ship 52 minutes after splashdown.<ref name=astronautix/><ref name=alsjreturn/><ref>{{cite news |title=Obituaries – Commander Edward E. "Ted" Dahill, III (ret.) |newspaper=Coronado Eagle and Journal |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=CJ20070509.2.84&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 |access-date=March 14, 2022 |date=May 9–15, 2007 |archive-date=March 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314215124/https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=CJ20070509.2.84&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 |url-status=live }}</ref> As the final Apollo mission concluded successfully, Mission Control in Houston was filled with many former flight controllers and astronauts, who applauded as ''America'' returned to Earth.{{sfn|Chaikin 1995|p=550}}