Many achievements are marked by the first person to accomplish them. For example, Amelia Earhart was the first solo woman pilot to complete a transatlantic flight, and Babe Ruth becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs in one season (Famous Firsts). These first-time achievements mark the beginning of many more to come, but what if we focused on those who were the last to achieve such goals?
Eugene Cernan was born March 14, 1934, in Chicago, Illinois. He was commander of the Apollo 17, and became the last man to walk on the moon. His achievements have continued to influence space travel and people everywhere.
Cernan had graduated from Purdue University in 1956 with a degree in electrical engineering, all while in the United States Navy. He continued his education in the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterrey, California where he received his master’s in aeronautical engineering (Eugene Cernan).
The start of his NASA career started in 1963 when he was one of the 14 astronauts picked for the Apollo program. His first task was part of the Gemini missions where he was led by Commander Thomas Stafford (Cernan dies). The Gemini missions were in support of the Apollo program and were NASA’s second space flight program.
Cernan finally became a pilot on the Apollo 10 in March 1969 where he participated in the first lunar orbital and verification flight test. Finally, in 1972 he made his third trip to space as commander of Apollo 17 and the last man to walk on the moon (Cernan dies). The mission took two weeks and held new records for space flight.
Cernan finally retired in 1976 after 20 years in the navy ending his NASA career but he held onto the memories telling his family to have grateful he is for the experience.
“I was just a young kid in America growing up with a dream. Today what’s most important to me is my desire to inspire the passion in the hearts and minds of future generations of young men and women to see their impossible dreams become a reality.” (Nasa.gov)