Public Domain
Apollo 17: On the Shoulders of Giants
1973 · NASA
A documentary about the Apollo 17 mission to the Taurus-Littrow on the moon, the final lunar landing mission in the Apollo program, December 1972. Produced by A-V Corporation for NASA. The film was distributed both as an ephemeral film (shown to an audience via a 16mm film projector), and was also shown on TV (and was shown on both public and commercial stations per a search of vintage newspapers).
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Apollo 17: On the Shoulders of Giants' is an official documentary produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a federal agency of the United States government. Under US copyright law, specifically 17 U.S.C. § 105, any work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person's official duties is a 'work of the United States Government.'
Works of the United States Government are not eligible for domestic copyright protection and exist in the public domain from the moment of their creation. This applies to all NASA mission films, including this summary of the Apollo 17 lunar landing mission. The film is widely distributed by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and remains available for unrestricted use and reproduction without the need for licensing fees or permissions from the studio.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- 17 U.S.C. § 105
- NASA Image and Video Usage Guidelines
- National Archives (NARA) Record Group 255: Records of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- IMDb: Apollo 17: On the Shoulders of Giants (1973)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.