The Trash Weve Left on the Moon

The image above shows the remains of the Apollo 17 site in the moon's Taurus-Littrow Valley -- an image, released in 2011, sharp enough to show the tracks of the astronauts and their lunar rover in unprecedented detail.

At top left you can see the mission's ALSEP, or its package of scientific instruments. In the center is the lunar module's descent stage ("Challenger"), as well as the module's experimental pallet, the ladder leading down to the lunar surface, and the life-support backpacks (PLSS) that crew members Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt tossed out of their ascent module just before leaving the moon.

You can also see paths left by walking astronauts and tracks left by lunar bugg…
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