The Coin That Went To The Moon - Apollo 17

To accompany PhMJ and SassySaki in their travels. This trackable is an Apollo 40th Anniversary commemorative medallion cast from metal that was part of one of the Apollo spacecraft's Command Module. It is attached to a standard Travel Bug. 

**Update** A trackable proxy has been created for this one-of-a-kind trackable. It is a laminated photocopy made just to travel. The original coin will stay with PhMJ. Proxy was stolen. No more proxies of this one of a kind coin will be made.

In 2009, NASA commissioned Winco International to mint medallions commemorating the Apollo 11 through 17 lunar expeditions. The twist was that actual metal from one of the command modules that went to the Moon was to be used on these medallions. Each of these medallions actually completed several dozen orbits around the Moon before returning to Earth. This is one of those medallions, minted to commemorate the flight of Apollo 17.

Astronauts Eugene "Gene" Cernan and Harrison "Jack" Schmitt were the last two men to walk on the Moon (who was last depends on who you ask) flying on the LM Challenger, while Astronaut Ronald Evans stayed on the Command Module America. Apollo 17 launched from Kennedy Space Center's launchpad 39-A at 12:33 AM on December 7 , 1972. Challenger touched down on the surface of the Moon on December 11 at 2:55 AM. Cernan and Schmitt performed 3 moonwalks, lasting 7 hrs. 12 mins; 7 hrs. 37 mins.; and 7 hrs. 15 mins. Challenger then lifted off at 5:26 PM, December 14 and headed back home and humanity's (so far) last mission to the Moon ended. During the return trip, Command Module Pilot Ron Evans performed a spacewalk which still holds the record for the spacewalk performed farthest from Earth. America, minus its Service Module, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on December 19, 1972 at 2:25 PM. The USS Ticonderoga recovered the astronauts safely 55 minutes later. America now resides at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.