The commander of NASA's Apollo 17 mission dies aged 82.
Eugene Cernan, a former decorated astronaut for NASA died at the age of 82 with his family in a Houston hospital following ongoing health issues.
On Cernan’s third spaceflight, he was appointed the commander of NASA's Apollo 17 mission and was the last person to set foot on the lunar surface.
"Even at the age of 82, Eugene was passionate about sharing his desire to see the continued human exploration of space and encouraged our nation's leaders and young people to not let him remain the last man to walk on the Moon," his family said in a statement released by NASA.
On December 14, 1972, he became the last of only a dozen men to walk on the moon and he traced his only child's initials in the dust before climbing the ladder of the lunar module the last time. It was a moment that forever defined him in both the public eye and his own.
"Those steps up that ladder, they were tough to make," Cernan recalled in a 2007 oral history. I didn't want to go up. I wanted to stay a while."
Cernan called it "perhaps the brightest moment of my life."
On December 11, 1972, Cernan guided the lander, named Challenger, into a lunar valley called Taurus-Littrow, with Harrison "Jack" Schmitt at his side. He recalled the silence after the lunar lander's engine shut down.
"That's where you experience the most quiet moment a human being can experience in his lifetime," Cernan said in 2007.
"There's no vibration. There's no noise. The ground quit talking. Your partner is mesmerized. He can't say anything.
"The dust is gone. It's a realisation, a reality, all of a sudden you have just landed in another world on another body out there (somewhere in the) universe, and what you are seeing is being seen by human beings, human eyes, for the first time."
(With agency inputs)
1. Astronauts about to board the Gemini IXA spacecraft
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Astronauts Eugene Cernan (left) and Tom Stafford (center) arrive in the white room atop Launch Pad 19 at Cape Kennedy Air Force Station on June 3, 1966.
2. The Gemini IX Spacecraft
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During Eugene Cernan's two-hour, eight-minute spacewalk on June 5, 1966. He looked at the Gemini IX and said "What a beautiful spacecraft."
3. Apollo 10 spacecraft launching into space
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At 12:49 p.m. on May 18, 1969, the Apollo 10 spacecraft with Eugene Cernan onboard launched from the Kennedy Space Center.
4. Crew of Apollo 10 mission
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Eugene Cernan (left), John Young (Center) and Thomas Stafford (Right) are photographed standing in front of the Apollo 10 space vehicle on Launch Pad 39 B on May 13, 1969. The photograph was taken at the Kennedy Space Center.
5. Apollo 17 spacecraft launching into space
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At 12:33 a.m. (EST) on December 7, 1972, the 363-feet tall Apollo 17 spacecraft was launched into space from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.
6. Eugene Cernan standing on the moon
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Apollo 17 Mission Commander Eugene Cernan is standing near the lunar rover during the second spacewalk on December 12, 1972.
7. Eugene Cernan driving on the Moon
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During the Apollo 17 mission, commander Eugene Cernan took the Lunar Roving Vehicle out for a spin.
8. Eugene Cernan holds US flag on Moon
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This photo was taken by fellow astronaut Harrison Schmitt on December 12, 1972. It shows commander Eugene Cernan holding the lower corner of the American flag during the Apollo 17 mission.
9. The Blue Marble
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This image shows the view of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew. The photograph was taken on December 7, 1972, by the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft at a distance of about 45,000 kilometers away from our planet.
10. Apollo 17 crew return to Earth
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Apollo 17 marked the sixth and final Apollo mission. It was also the last space mission to have humans walk on the lunar surface. The crew returned to Earth on December 19, 1972.
