This photo is of Africa, Antarctica, and the Arabian Peninsula as taken en
route to the Moon by Apollo 17's Harrison Schmitt on December 7, 1972. The
flight marked the last time that humans left low Earth orbit and the first and
only time a geologist, Harrison Schmitt, travelled to the moon.
View of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew traveling toward the moon. This
translunar coast photograph extends from the Mediterranean Sea area to the
Antarctica south polar ice cap. This is the first time the Apollo trajectory
made it possible to photograph the south polar ice cap. Note the heavy cloud
cover in the Southern Hemisphere. Almost the entire coastline of Africa is
clearly visible. The Arabian Peninsula can be seen at the northeastern edge of
Africa. The large island off the coast of Africa is the Malagasy Republic. The
Asian mainland is on the horizon toward the northeast.
