The video of Apollo 17 launching from the Moon was a masterclass in split-second remote timing.
The iconic footage of Apollo 17’s Lunar Module lifting off from the Moon was captured by a camera mounted on the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). The Rover was parked about 145 meters (475 ft) away, and the camera was controlled remotely from Mission Control in Houston by Ed Fendell.
Previous attempts during Apollo 15 and 16 hadn’t gone perfectly. On Apollo 15, a problem with the camera’s tilt clutch prevented it from tracking the Lunar Module during ascent. On Apollo 16, the camera worked, but the tracking wasn’t quite right: the Rover had been parked too close to the LM, and the camera couldn’t tilt upward fast enough to keep up with it.
The biggest challenge was the communication delay. Radio signals take roughly 1.25 seconds to travel between Earth and the Moon, meaning Fendell couldn’t simply watch the screen and react in real time. His camera commands had to be carefully timed in advance, anticipating exactly when the engine would ignite and how quickly the Lunar Module would climb.
On Apollo 17, the third attempt was the charm. Fendell got the timing and tracking just right, producing one of the most remarkable pieces of footage of the entire Apollo program.
And since that day, December 14, 1972… We haven’t been back.
For now.