Eugene A. Cernan (born March 14, 1934) is a former United States astronaut. He has been into space three times: as co-pilot of Gemini 9A in June 1966; as lunar module pilot of Apollo 10 in May 1969; and as commander of Apollo 17 in December 1972, when he became "the last man on the moon". He was also a reserve crew member for the Gemini 12, Apollo 7 and Apollo 14 missions. March 14 is the 73rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (74th in Leap years) with 292 days remaining in the year. ... 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... U.S. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit. ... Gemini 9A (officially Gemini IX-A) was a 1966 manned spaceflight in NASAs Gemini program. ... 1966 was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ... Apollo 10 was the fourth manned mission in the Apollo program, and the first (and only manned Saturn V) mission to launch from pad 39B. The mission included the second crew to orbit the Moon, and the test of the lunar module in lunar orbit. ... 1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... Apollo 17 was the eleventh manned space mission in the NASA Apollo program, and was the sixth and last mission to date to land on the Moon. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... Gemini 12 (officially Gemini XII) was a 1966 manned spaceflight in NASAs Gemini program. ... Apollo 7 was the first manned mission in the Apollo program to be launched. ... Apollo 14 was the eighth manned mission in the Apollo program and the third mission to land on the moon. ...

Gene in LM after EVA-3

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Cernan grew up in the town of Maywood. He graduated from Purdue University in 1956, with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He was commissioned into the Navy through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps at Purdue, and became a Naval Aviator flying jets. In 1976, Cernan retired both from the Navy (as a Captain) and from NASA, and went into private business. Gene in LM after EVA-3 NASA PD image This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Gene in LM after EVA-3 NASA PD image This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Chicago, Illinois — officially the City of Chicago and colloquially known as Chicago, the Second City and the Windy City — is the third largest city of the United States after New York City and Los Angeles and is the largest inland city of the nation. ... Maywood is a village located in Cook County, Illinois. ... Purdue University is a public land-grant university system within the state of Indiana. ...

Cernan is one of only three men to voyage to the moon on two different occasions (the others being Jim Lovell and John Young), and one of only twelve men to walk on the moon. Cernan orbited the moon on Apollo 10, and landed on the moon on Apollo 17. Crust composition Oxygen 43% Silicon 21% Aluminium 10% Calcium 9% Iron 9% Magnesium 5% Titanium 2% Nickel 0. ... Portrait of Apollo 13 Commander James A. Lovell, Jr. ... John W. Young in 1986 John Watts Young (born September 24, 1930) is an astronaut who walked on the Moon on Apollo 16, April 21, 1972. ... Twenty-four astronauts have been on or near the Moon. ... In physics, an orbit is the path that an object makes, around another object, whilst under the influence of a source of centripetal force, such as gravity. ... Apollo 10 was the fourth manned mission in the Apollo program, and the first (and only manned Saturn V) mission to launch from pad 39B. The mission included the second crew to orbit the Moon, and the test of the lunar module in lunar orbit. ... Apollo 17 was the eleventh manned space mission in the NASA Apollo program, and was the sixth and last mission to date to land on the Moon. ...

While on the moon on Apollo 17 he and his crewmate Harrison Schmitt performed three EVAs for a total of about 22 hours of exploration. Their first EVA alone was over three times the length Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent outside the LM on Apollo 11. During this time they covered over 35 kilometers in the Lunar Rover and spent a great deal of time collecting geologic samples that would shed light on the moon's early history. Apollo 17 was the eleventh manned space mission in the NASA Apollo program, and was the sixth and last mission to date to land on the Moon. ... Schmitts famous photograph of Earth taken from Apollo 17 as he travelled to the Moon Harrison Jack Schmitt (born July 3, 1935) is a geologist, astronaut, and senator. ... Neil Alden Armstrong (born August 5, 1930) is a former American test pilot and astronaut who was the first human being to walk on the Moon. ... Buzz in the LM Colonel Edwin Eugene Buzz Aldrin, Jr. ... Description Role: Lunar landing Crew: 2; CDR, LM pilot Dimensions Height: 20. ... The Apollo 11 mission was the first manned lunar landing. ... Lunar Rover-Manned land vehicle (NASA) The Lunar Rover was a manned land vehicle for transport on the Moon. ...

As Cernan got ready to climb the ladder he spoke these words, the last ever spoken by a man standing on the moon's surface: "As we leave the Moon and Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came, and God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. As I take these last steps from the surface for some time to come, I'd just like to record that America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow. Godspeed the crew of Apollo Seventeen."

He is the author of The Last Man on the Moon, his memoirs of the Apollo program.

"Yes, I am the last man to have walked on the moon, and that's a very dubious and disappointing honor. It's been far too long."

Fun Facts

• Drew his daughter's initials TDC (Tracy Dawn Cernan) in the lunar regolith
• Motto: Take the word 'impossible' out of your dictionary
• There is a planetarium named in Captain Cernan's honor -- the Cernan Earth and Space Center on the campus of Triton College in River Grove, Illinois.
• The first (Armstrong) and last (Cernan) man to walk on the Moon were engineering graduates from Purdue University

Regolith (pronounced re-go-lith) is a layer of loose, heterogeneous material covering solid rock. ... Cernan Earth and Space Center The Cernan Earth and Space Center is a public planetarium on the campus of Triton College in the Chicago suburb of River Grove. ... Purdue University is a public land-grant university system within the state of Indiana. ...

External links

• Biographical data from US National Aeronautics and Space Administration

• Cernan Earth and Space Center