Tiny glass beads formed in the fires of explosive volcanic eruptions on the moon, and brought back to Earth by Apollo 17, reveal their secrets.

Apollo 17 was the first Apollo mission to include a scientist as part of the crew. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Apollo ...

Apollo 17 commander Eugene A. Cernan is holding the lower corner of the American flag during the mission's first EVA, December 12, 1972. (Photograph by Harrison J. "Jack" Schmitt, NASA) ...

Lunar dust collected by Apollo 17 astronauts in the 1970s has revealed that the moon is 40 million years older than previously believed. After landing on the moon on December 11, 1972, NASA ...

Liftoff of the Apollo 17 Saturn V Moon Rocket from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 12:33 a.m., December 17, 1972. Apollo 17, the final lunar landing mission, was the ...

The Apollo 17 Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) is photographed near a large lunar boulder during the third Apollo 17 extravehicular activity (EVA) at the Taurus-Littrow landing site.

Apollo 17, left, blasting off from Launchpad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 7, 1972, and Artemis I lifting off from Launchpad 39B on Nov. 16.

Wednesday marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 17 mission — the last one that put humans on the moon. NPR takes a look at the mission and what it means for future travel to our lunar companion.