[APOLLO 17] THE CM FLOATING IN THE PACIFIC AFTER SPLASHDOWN. VINTAGE NASA "RED NUMBER" PHOTOGRAPH, 19 DECEMBER 1972.

The Vintage NASA Photo Collection of Philip Kulpa

[APOLLO 17] 

THE COMMAND MODULE FLOATING IN THE PACIFIC AFTER SPLASHDOWN. 19 DECEMBER 1972.

Vintage NASA “Red Number” chromogenic color photograph, 10 by 8 inches, “A Kodak Paper” watermark, press captions printed in purple to verso. NASA image ID “NASA S-72-56147” printed in upper left margin in red; minor toning, minor loss to upper margin where tape has been removed.

A water-level view of the Apollo 17 CM floating in the Pacific Ocean after splashdown—which occurred at 1:24:59 p.m. (CST) on 19 December 1972, about 350 nautical miles southeast of Samoa—and prior to recovery. The USS Ticonderoga, the primary recovery ship, is visible in the background. At the time this photograph was taken, astronauts Gene Cernan, Ron Evans, and Harrison Schmitt, had already been taken by helicopter to the deck of the ship. The CM was later hoisted aboard the USS Ticonderoga.