Apollo 17 astronaut who walked on moon offers advice to NASA's Artemis II crew

Harrison Schmitt, now 90, was on the Apollo 17 mission — the last time humans visited the moon. On Wednesday, NASA's Artemis II mission aims to kickstart a return.

If anyone can offer advice to the four NASA astronauts slated to launch Wednesday on a trip around the moon, it’s Harrison Schmitt.

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Schmitt, 90, left his bootprints on the lunar surface in 1972, as part of Apollo 17 — the final mission in the program, which was the last time humans traveled to the moon.

NASA’s Artemis II mission, which is scheduled to lift off as early as 6:24 p.m. Wednesday, aims to kick-start a new era of lunar exploration. The crew plans to circle the moon as a step toward a lunar landing in 2028 (similar to the way Apollo 8's flight around the moon paved the way for Apollo 11).