Cernan

Eugene Andrew Cernan, commonly known as Gene Cernan, was an American naval aviator, electrical engineer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. Born on March 14, 1934, in Chicago, Illinois, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in 1956 and joined the U.S. Navy, where he served as a flight officer and test pilot before joining NASA in 1963.

During his NASA career, Cernan flew in both the Gemini and Apollo programs. He served as Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 10 in 1969, a mission that rehearsed the steps of a lunar landing by approaching the Moon’s surface closely without landing. He later commanded Apollo 17, which launched in December 1972 and landed in the Taurus–Littrow region with Harrison Schmitt as Lunar Module Pilot. On the Moon, Cernan and Schmitt conducted surface exploration and scientific experiments, and Cernan became the last person to walk on the lunar surface, leaving the Moon with his footprints and a final farewell before the mission ended.

After leaving NASA, Cernan remained active in the aerospace and public spheres, contributing to space history through speaking engagements and his writings. He published an autobiography recounting his experiences as an astronaut. Eugene Cernan died on January 16, 2017, in Houston, Texas, after a battle with cancer. He is remembered as a central figure in the Apollo era and as the most recent human to have walked on the Moon.