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Gene Cernan

by Shelby Bryant from Fredericksburg, Virginia

An astronaut throughout three different missions, along with being in the Navy for twenty years, Eugene Cernan was born in March, 1934 in Chicago, Illinois. He passed away this year on January 17th, 2017, in Houston, Texas. He was married twice, and had one daughter named Tracy with Barbara Cernan Butler. He married his wife Jan Nanna Cernan in 1987 whom he was married to until he died. Cernan had a lot to balance from an early age; his education, career, training, family and fame. Gene Cernan is considered to be a hero because of his dedication and hard work, his fearlessness and his inspiration to others throughout his career.

119673Young Gene Cernanhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_CernanIn order to be accepted into the NASA program, Gene Cernan knew that he was going to have to work extremely hard. He had to be committed for seven years to be qualified to even be considered for selection into the space program. When he graduated from high school in Maywood, Illinois, he began his pursuit of his college education and years of training. Cernan first received a bachelor science degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in 1956. He went on to receive his “Master science degree from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School for Aeronautical Engineering” (NASA Biographical Data). He was then selected as one of the fourteen astronauts hand picked by NASA in October of 1963, after his many years of training, determination and hard work. He received many Honorary Doctorate awards. One of which was in 1969, a Law degree from Western State University College of Law. He was given an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering from Purdue University in 1970, Drexel University in 1977 and Gonzaga University, Comenius University of the Slovak Republic, Petroleum Economics and Management Seminar, Northwestern University, in 1978. After this, he became a U.S. Navy Captain. His road to the Navy began with the ROTC program at Purdue University after his sophomore year. Once completing this, he went into Navy flight training and became a Naval Aviator in 1958.

Being an astronaut included having to try many new things, which meant that he had to be fearless. He had to train and prepare for things never done before, or done by few, whether he was ready or not. This was because he was put into different roles, and each time they was a new amount of challenge and knowledge required. In his first mission, Gemini X in June of 1966, he wasn’t even supposed to go. But, Cernan along with Thomas P. Stafford, who was the commander, were back up members for this mission who were needed due to of the deaths of the original crew. Cernan was the pilot, so he was basically in charge of everything, especially if something went wrong. For example, if the aircraft crashed, it would be on him. But, the mission went perfectly as planned and it lasted three days, from June 3rd to June 6th, 1966. This was the first time he had ever walked in space, he was only the second American to walk in space. His need to be fearless continued leading up to his second mission, Apollo X in May of 1969.  Gene was a part of the testing of “the first comprehensive lunar-orbital qualification and verification flight test of the Apollo lunar module” (NASA Biographical Data). If this went well then it would show that they would be ready for a real landing on the moon. They were going to try and touch down on the surface of the moon, but didn’t succeed. After Apollo X, Gene’s reaction was, “Really, how could I be disappointed after riding the Saturn V rocket, the mightiest missile ever built, into orbit and then a quarter-million-miles from Earth, seeing unbelievable sights, hanging around the Moon for three days, descending to within 47,000 feet of the lunar surface, flying back to my home planet and making a super high-speed reentry in a fireball to land in the Pacific? Anyway, I had an idea— I planned to go back.” (Gene Cernan)

119674Gene Cernan at his movie premierehttps://www.sacurrent.com/ArtSlut/archives/2016/04/25/apollo-17-astronaut-gene-cernan-on-being-the-last-man-on-the-moonHis final mission was the most inspirational to others in the United States. It was the last Apollo lunar landing mission scheduled to the moon for the U.S. Little did they know that it would be the last one, at least to date. Cernan was the commander for this mission, Apollo XVII, December, 1972. It was the longest “manned lunar landing flight (301 hours 52 minutes)” (NASA Biographical Data) and it was a successful last flight. Cernan is known for being one of the two Americans who went to the moon twice. Along with being the second man to walk in space, he was also the last man to leave his footprints on the moon. He also wrote his daughter Tracy’s name on the lunar surface. This showed that he was a caring, loving father to his daughter, which made him more inspirational. Showcasing his achievements and wanting to share his unique experiences,  Cernan wrote a book about his life. The Last Man on the Moon was released in March, 1999. This included all of his missions, advice, pictures, family, friends and more. His book was turned into a movie and was released in 2014. There were many premieres, in many different cities. One of his inspirational quotes was “Too many years have passed for me to still be the last man to have left his footprints on the Moon. I believe with all my heart that somewhere out there is a young girl or boy with indomitable will and courage who will lift that dubious distinction from my shoulders and take us back to where we belong. Let us give that dream a chance.” Captain Eugene A. Cernan.

Gene Cernan lived as a hero throughout his life, and he stayed involved with NASA after he retired in July of 1976. After retiring, he also worked as a spokesman for the space program, explaining space travel and his experiences on television as a space consultant and speaking engagements right up until he died. After leaving NASA Gene started his own business in 1981. Cernan’s company was called The Cernan Corporation, where he pursued management and consultant interests focused on aerospace, energy and more.   

Resources

Contributor, Elizabeth Howell Space.com. “Eugene Cernan: Last Man on the Moon.” Space.com, www.space.com/20790-eugene-cernan-astronaut-biography.html.

“Eugene Cernan.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Jan. 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Cernan .

“GEMINI IX.” Gene Cernan, www.egger1.com/gemini-ix/ .

Martinez, Kiko. “Apollo 17 Astronaut Gene Cernan on Being The Last.” San Antonio Current, San Antonio Current, 20 June 2017, www.sacurrent.com/ArtSlut/archives/2016/04/25/apollo-17-astronaut-gene-cernan-on-being-the-last-man-on-the-moon.

NASA, NASA, www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cernan-ea.html.

 

 

 

Page created on 1/16/2018 6:58:12 PM

Last edited 6/10/2018 10:29:14 PM

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