Apollo 17 carried Harrison Schmitt, the first scientist to walk on the Moon.
Schmitt was a geologist selected by NASA after scientists argued that lunar missions should include a trained field scientist. He served as Apollo 17's lunar module pilot, working alongside commander Eugene Cernan on the Taurus–Littrow valley. Ronald Evans piloted the command module in lunar orbit.
Schmitt identified unusual orange soil near Shorty crater and helped collect a wide range of samples. His geological training influenced the crew's observations and sampling decisions, although all Apollo astronauts received extensive geology instruction before flying.
Apollo 17 was Schmitt's only spaceflight and the final crewed lunar-landing mission of the Apollo program. He was not the first scientist selected for an Apollo mission in a broad sense—scientist-astronauts had been assigned earlier—but he was the first professional scientist to perform a lunar surface excursion.