How or when the Apollo 17 rock went missing is not clear. It is encased in an acrylic ball that is attached to a wooden plaque with a miniature replica of the state flag and inscriptions.

How or when the Apollo 17 rock went missing is not clear. It is encased in an acrylic ball that is attached to a wooden plaque with a miniature replica of the state flag and inscriptions.

But it was Eugene Cernan, commander of the Apollo 17 mission, who took the final steps on the Moon before their departure 50 years ago today on December 16, 1972. He left behind a plaque that ...