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.

The Apollo 17 Space Vehicle, scheduled for launch from KSC on the sixth U.S. Manned Lunar Landing Mission on December 6, 1972 is in the background.

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.

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.

Over 50 years have passed since humanity last set foot on the Moon during Apollo 17 in 1972. Commander Eugene Cernan, the last man to leave the lunar surface, expressed hopes that humanity would ...

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) ...

Apollo 17 was the last mission to place human on the moon 50 years ago. The rocket lifted off Dec. 7, 1972, and the crew stepped onto the moon Dec. 11.

The Apollo 17 lunar lander module left behind by US astronauts on the moon’s surface could be causing moonquakes, or small tremors, a new study revealed. CNN values your feedback 1.

The December 1972 issue of Popular Science included a preview of the Apollo 17 mission and a look back at previous Apollo missions. To mark the American return to the moon, we wanted to take a ...

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 ...

During the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 - the last time people walked on the moon - U.S. astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan collected about 243 pounds (110.4 kg) of soil and rock samples ...

NASA Earth rises above the lunar horizon in this photo taken from NASA's Apollo 17 spacecraft while in orbit during the Apollo program's final lunar landing mission. Earth rises above the lunar ...