Finding Gene Cernan's Missing Moon Camera
8 days ago
- #Gene Cernan
- #Apollo 17
- #Moon Camera
- Gene Cernan believed he left his Hasselblad camera on the moon to study solar cosmic radiation effects, but evidence suggests it returned to Earth.
- Apollo 17 had three cameras: two assigned to astronauts (CDR and LMP) and a third with a 500mm lens. Transcripts indicate the 500mm camera was left on the moon, while the CDR and LMP cameras were brought back.
- Post-mission analysis and photos confirm Cernan's CDR camera (S/N 1023) returned to Earth, contradicting NASA's inventory and Cernan's memory.
- The camera was later found in Switzerland at the Omega Museum, on loan from NASA, though its journey post-splashdown remains unclear.
- Research suggests NASA may have forgotten the camera's history over 48 years, with documentation gaps complicating its provenance.