Gene Cernan

Gene Cernan
Cernan in 1969
Born
Eugene Andrew Cernan

(1934-03-14)March 14, 1934
DiedJanuary 16, 2017(2017-01-16) (aged 82)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Resting placeTexas State Cemetery
Education
Spouse(s)
Barbara Jean Artchley
(m. 1961; div. 1981)

Janis Ellen Jones
(m. 1987)
Children1
Awards
Space career
NASA astronaut
RankCaptain, USN
Time in space
23d 14h 15m
SelectionNASA Group 3 (1963)
Total EVAs
4
Total EVA time
24h 11m
Missions
Mission insignia
RetirementJuly 1, 1976
WebsiteOfficial website
Signature

Eugene Andrew Cernan (/ˈsɜːrnən/; March 14, 1934 – January 16, 2017) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot. During the Apollo 17 mission, Cernan became the 11th human being to walk on the Moon. As he re-entered the Apollo Lunar Module after Harrison Schmitt on their third and final lunar excursion, he remains the most recent person to walk on the Moon.

Before becoming an astronaut, Cernan graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University in Indiana, and joined the U.S. Navy through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC). After flight training, he received his naval aviator wings and served as a fighter pilot. In 1963, he received a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Achieving the rank of captain, he retired from the Navy in 1976.

Cernan traveled into space three times and to the Moon twice: as pilot of Gemini 9A in June 1966, as lunar module pilot of Apollo 10 in May 1969, and as commander of Apollo 17 in December 1972, the final Apollo lunar landing. Cernan was also a backup crew member of the Gemini 12, Apollo 7 and Apollo 14 space missions.