LIBERTY — The historic late 1972 launch of the Apollo 17 mission to the moon represented more than a space expedition to merely collect rock samples from the lunar landscape while making history: It meant something far more endearing and far-reaching, a prominent area historian contends.

“It also was an expression of hope,” Doug Fowler, who also is a retired Youngstown State University physics and astronomy professor, said.

Specifically, the 12-day space mission from Dec. 7 to 19, 1972, represented a magnificent geological and scientific achievement that gave many Americans a greater sense of hope that major challenges at home could be solved. Those included expanding Medicaid and Medicare, along with further tackling poverty, he said.

Fowler was the guest speaker for a program the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society hosted Saturday morning in the Denny’s Restaurant meeting room, 4020 Belmont Ave., that was part of the society’s Memories of a Lifetime series.

Geology, more than a quest for attaining American hegemony, however, was a key driving force behind the mission during the space-race era, Fowler said, adding that “pure scientific curiosity” also played a role.

In addition, exploring the moon provided added interest in further understanding and exploring the Earth, and the milestone contributed to the environmental movement, he noted.

Apollo 17 was the sixth and final Apollo crewed moon landing — and the Apollo program’s 11th and final mission — and it marked the last time a human walked on the lunar surface. The crew included Ronald E. Evans, who served as command module pilot; Eugene A. Cernan, the module’s commander; and Harrison H. “Jack” Schmitt, who was the module’s pilot.

In addition, Cernan was the last person to have left human footprints on the moon. Also, Schmitt was the first astronaut-scientist and 12th person to have stepped on the lunar surface.

The Apollo 17 crew spent a great deal of time during the nearly two-week mission exploring a part of the moon known as the Taurus-Littrow Valley, which marked the capsule’s landing site, was formed billions of years ago and is ringed by areas called the North and South Massifs and the Cultured Hills. It also was home to many types of basalt rocks as well as lava pieces from fissures, some pieces of which turned orange because of titanium, Fowler explained.

Titanium is a strong, lightweight grayish metal that is highly resistant to corrosion and able to withstand extreme temperatures — which the moon experiences because of having virtually no atmosphere.

“The sunlight is intense, and it’s incredibly hot,” Fowler said about the moon’s landscape.

During his 45-minute presentation, Fowler also showed close-up photographs that an orbiter had taken of the Taurus-Littrow Valley, which depicts a series of undulations that somewhat resemble desolate, uninhabited parts of the West.

Many contend that the Apollo program was terminated because of the increasing cost to NASA. The Apollo 17 mission was estimated at $450 million, according to The Planetary Society.

Nevertheless, despite criticisms of the mission’s price tag, the Vietnam War was about seven times more expensive, Fowler noted.

Among the few dozen who attended Saturday’s program was Michael Sauvante, 77, of Youngstown, a veteran who served in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1970, including a year in the Vietnam War.

Sauvante recalled that while stationed on the USS Arlington (AGMR-2) in the Pacific Ocean, he witnessed from a distance the Apollo 8 capsule splashdown Dec. 27, 1968, after its six days in space.

Apollo 8, which was launched Dec. 21, 1968, was the first mission with crew members aboard to have orbited the moon. It also allowed astronauts James Lovell, William Anders and Frank Borman to become the first humans to see the moon’s far side.

Lovell, who also was Apollo 13’s commander, died Aug. 7 in Illinois. He was 97.

During the Apollo 8 mission, Anders took what became an iconic photograph of the Earth rising above the lunar horizon. The powerful image, later known as “Earthrise,” became symbolic of Earth’s fragility and, many say, helped inspire and fuel greater environmental awareness.

Apollo 8’s value also was found in its important navigation and mapping tasks, along with establishing a lunar grid for future missions, according to www.nasa.gov.