11 Dec 1972 The Challenger has landed?

UHH, the Apollo 17 LEM WAS named Challenger, BEFORE the Space Shuttle.

"...After separating from the Command/Service Module, the Lunar Module Challenger and its crew of two, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt, adjusted their orbit and began preparations for the descent to Taurus-Littrow. While Cernan and Schmitt prepared for landing, Command Module Pilot Ron Evans remained in orbit to take observations, perform experiments and await the return of his crew-mates a few days later.[2][23]

Soon after completing their preparations for landing, Cernan and Schmitt began their descent to the Taurus-Littrow valley on the lunar surface. Several minutes after the descent phase was initiated, the Lunar Module pitched over, giving the crew their first look at the landing site during the descent phase and allowing Cernan to guide the spacecraft to a desirable landing target while Schmitt provided data from the flight computer essential for landing. The LM touched down on the lunar surface at 2:55 PM EST on December 11. Shortly thereafter, the two astronauts began re-configuring the LM for their stay on the surface and began preparations for the first moonwalk of the mission, or EVA-1.[2][23}..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_17

NASA is planning to go back to the Moon, hopfully by 2019, BUT that kind of depends on Congress too. Since the GOP is still slowly imploding and is still in a state of shock from having their delusions busted, that may or may NOT happen. Elections matter. Hillary's 2016 campaign has already started in the media, already a winner, according to Rush Limbaugh. I don't know whether to laugh out loud or choke. Maybe it time to call it a day, get undressed and have some wine to fuzz the edges of reality pleasantly, or just taking my glasses off works almost as well.

It was a very ambitious mission. The longest on the surface of the Moon and the first time, though it wasn't supposed to be the last time, that they assigned a real scientist to the crew.

Will we go back? It's not impossible, but I can only imagine that some private agency will send a crew of millionaires to the Moon, for the cachet that "Yeah, I walked on the Moon... wanna sleep together?"

SHOULD we go back to the Moon? That's a VERY hard question. I used to believe that no scientific advancement was wasted, even if its just a cheaper way to get people to the Moon and back, but lately I have been learning a LOT about what backroom deals you have to make just to get your projects looked at and have started thinking that if its not clearly necessary, don't waste the money. Imagine if they spent the billions necessary for this mission returning to the Moon on advanced research in propulsion? Perhaps getting to Mars and beyond would become easier.

A couple of great answers. But nobody mentioned that Apollo 17 was the first (and of course, last) mission to take a real geologist. Harrison Schmitt was a professional geologist, then trained to be the LEM pilot on Apollo 17.

Whenever, I here some misguided person say "there is no reason to go back" (the first answer here intimated that), I always say perhaps you should ask Harrison Scmitt, and thousands of other geologists who would like to get their hands on more moon stuff.

The surface of the moon, having no oceans, is nearly as large as Asia. It is nonsense to think that from just six landings, where they covered just a few square kilometres of the surface, that we learned anything but a morsel of what there is to learn. Especially since a real rock man only went on the last mission

Get Back ???... I don't believe human ever went to the moon which is about 239,000 mile from the earth.

In fact, man has NEVER gone beyond 400 mile from the earth due to the deadly radiation in the last 40 years, assumming Apollo did land on the moon more than 40 years ago (but I personally believe Apollo moon landing is 100% balony)

I know I know, many will be jumping on me and shout "Consipiracy Theorist", whatever that means...

But honestly speaking, I don't think moon landing will happen in our life time. And I doubt it will happen in the 21st century - we just don't have the technology at the moment.

The Challenger was the one that blew up in 1986.

You're thinking Apollo 17.

We'll go back as soon as there is a point to going back.