12/16/1972 USA, Recovery Force

 Cover Honors Recovery Force of Last Apollo Mission

Apollo 17, the last mission in NASA's Apollo prgram, was launched December 7, 1972.  The  Lunar Module landed on the Moon's surface three days later, and two astronauts spent about 75 hours there conducting experiments.  The spacecraft began its return to Earth on December 16, and three days later splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean.  The craft ws recovered by a force from the US Navy, as shown on this cover.  It's a fitting tribute to the end of the Apollo space program.