posted 12-28-2023 04:14 PM               

After the Apollo flight schedule shakeup of 24 Sept 1970, Apollo 17 was penciled in for a June 1972 flight, but that was dependent on the landing target. Thanks to observations and photography from the Apollo 15 mission, Taurus-Littrow was formally designated on 11 February 1972 as Apollo 17's landing target, but it could only be reached late in the year. The only Apollo 17 launch date that I have ever seen was 6 Dec 1972. As I recall, NASA was anxious to fly 17, get the lunar landings over, and move on to Skylab.

posted 12-29-2023 12:52 AM               

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Originally posted by Headshot:
Apollo 13's first launch opportunity to Fra Mauro, on 12 March 1970, would have required a night launch.

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posted 12-29-2023 01:29 PM            

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Originally posted by Henry Heatherbank:
If there is any truth to the rumour the White House did not want the mission to occur until after the 1972 Presidential election?

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This decision took NASA completely by surprise. In early 1971 George Low raised the issue with the White House and George Shultz made it clear to him that the decision was not about saving money, but was based on Nixon's understanding that Apollo 17 would be considerably riskier than the preceding missions. Nixon did not want a possible space tragedy just before the presidential election. Low told Shultz that Apollo 17 could be delayed until December, 1972 [after the election] and when this was later put to Nixon he (initially) agreed to reverse his earlier decision and allow Apollo 17 to proceed AFTER the election.

Nixon's change of mind was certainly, at least in part, due to strong representations made to him by his science adviser, Edward David. David wrote that '...to counter many of the concerns that have been raised about...the last Apollo mission in the few months before November 1972, the Apollo 16 mission could be launched in February, 1972, and the Apollo 17 launch could be scheduled "in mid-November or December..." '

This was not an end to the matter. On 13th May, 1971, shortly before Apollo 15, Nixon suggested the cancellations of Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 to John Ehrlichman, asking him: "Why in the hell would they have to go up there and take a look around the damned thing again?" [We can thank the infamous White House tape-recordings for capturing Nixon's actual words.]

On 19th October, 1971, presidential aide Bob Haldeman asked Nixon to clarify his position on the cancellation of Apollos 16 and 17. Nixon said: "Yes, I do want to cancel them...I just don't think we should take the risk of a possible goof-off in the damn thing."

Again on 24th November, 1971, Nixon emphatically stated that Apollos 16 and 17 would not go ahead, but he eventually conceded: "If we go, no shots before the election." He was finally persuaded that there was a "politically safe" gap between Apollo 16 and the election; and provided Apollo 17 did not fly until AFTER the election, he agreed that both missions could proceed.