Death of the Last Human to Walk on the Moon

Eugene Cernan, the American astronaut and the last human to walk on the Moon, passed away at the age of 82. Eugene Andrew Cernan, born in March 1934, died on January 16 at a hospital in Houston. He traveled to space three times, including two trips to the Moon, and without his hard work, he might never have had the chance to walk on Earth's satellite. Cernan's last mission, with Apollo 17, dates back to December 1972. When he landed on the Moon with Harrison Schmitt, upon exiting the NASA spacecraft, he said, 'We dedicate our walk on the Moon to all those who made it possible... My God! It's unbelievable.' Cernan was one of three astronauts who have successfully traveled to the Moon twice, the others being John Young and Jim Lovell. Before the Apollo 17 mission, he had traveled to space with Apollo 10. However, what made Cernan famous was not just walking on the Moon but his numerous efforts and steadfastness in fulfilling his dreams. Cernan was born in Chicago to a family with no academic education. Yet, he earned more than one university degree, including in electrical engineering and a master's in aerospace engineering. In 1958, he became a 'Naval Aviator,' joining a group of elite officers authorized to fly for the Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard. Eugene Cernan, who loved flying, was not satisfied with flying below the Earth's atmosphere. In 1963, he was selected as part of NASA's third group of astronauts to participate in the Gemini and Apollo projects. The Gemini space project dates back to the 1960s and the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, a project executed before Apollo to optimize space technology and techniques. The Apollo project began during Eisenhower's presidency and continued under John F. Kennedy, who was a strong supporter of safely sending humans to the Moon and defended it emphatically in a speech. In total, 12 people walked on the Moon from Neil Armstrong to Eugene Cernan across six missions. They were the first humans to step on a celestial body other than Earth. NPR quoted Cernan in one of his interviews: 'My father always said: Go out and give it your all. You will never be the best at everything... Just do your best, and one day, you will surprise yourself.'