Apollo 17 astronauts completed three lunar surface excursions, also called extravehicular activities or EVAs.
Commander Eugene Cernan and lunar module pilot Harrison Schmitt conducted the excursions after landing in the Taurus–Littrow valley. Their work included geological sampling, deployment of scientific instruments, and traverses using the lunar roving vehicle.
The three EVAs lasted about 7 hours 12 minutes, 7 hours 37 minutes, and 7 hours 15 minutes. Together they gave the astronauts roughly 22 hours of working time outside the lunar module Challenger. The crew traveled farther from the landing site than earlier Apollo explorers.
Apollo 17’s three excursions are distinct from the mission’s number of lunar days or its total time on the surface. The astronauts also spent rest periods inside the lunar module between EVAs. Apollo 17 was the sixth and final Apollo mission to land humans on the Moon.