"Last Man On The Moon" Eugene Cernan Has Died At Age 82
"Last Man On The Moon" Eugene Cernan Has Died At Age 82
Cernan, who went to space three times, walked on the moon only once, but he went down in history as the last person to do so. He died surrounded by his beloved family. Here's how we remember Gene Cernan.
Cernan, who went to space three times, walked on the moon only once, but he went down in history as the last person to do so. He died surrounded by his beloved family. Here's how we remember Gene Cernan.
Eugene Cernan, dubbed "The Last Man On The Moon" for being one of the last two Apollo astronauts to walk on the lunar surface, has died peacefully at the age of 82.
Although Cernan only touched down on the moon once, he is one of only three astronauts to have visited the moon twice, and over the course of his career, he went into space three times. The first time, he orbited Earth over 47 times in three days as part of the Gemini 9A space flight and was the second American astronaut to do a space walk, which almost ended in disaster. Over the course of the "spacewalk from hell" his suit's cooling system failed, his visor fogged up, and he was left blind in space, having to struggle for two hours to find his way back into the ship.
Post- Spacewalk from Hell, Cernan didn't even have the strength to smile for the camera because he was so exhausted.
His second space trip took him just above the moon aboard the Apollo 10, as a rehearsal for the next Apollo mission to touch down on the moon. Cernan and John Young took a lander named Snoopy to just 8 miles above the lunar surface carving a "white line in the sky" for the next astronauts to visit the moon. This, too, almost ended in disaster, as Snoopy began reeling uncontrollably due to a button accidentally left in an automatic setting. However, Cernan was able to regain proper altitude manually and get them safely home.
Finally, Cernan got to set foot on the moon on NASA's final manned mission to the moon aboard the Apollo 17. Cernan spent more than 22 hours on the lunar surface, collecting rocks with geologist Harrison Schmitt. His parting words for the moon live in almost as much fame as those of Neil Armstrong's. Cernan said:
America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow. As we leave the moon and Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came, and, God willing, we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.
Eugene Cernan
Space, January 16, 2017
Cernan enjoyed a successful business career after his time in space ended, and in 2016, he was awarded the Neil Armstrong Lifetime Achievement Award for his support in revitalizing the space program as well as for his work empowering youth. He will always be remembered as someone who loved space.
It's almost as if JFK reached out into the 21st century where we are today, grabbed hold of a decade of time, slipped it neatly into the 60s and 70s and called it Apollo.
Eugene Cernan
Space, January 16, 2017
How do you remember Gene Cernan? Talk to us about it in the comments below, and share with your friends to see what they think.
Rest in peace, Mr. Cernan.