The last man to walk on the Moon was Eugene Cernan, a NASA astronaut who commanded the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972. Cernan, who passed away in 2017 at the age of 82, spent more than three days on the lunar surface, along with his crewmates Harrison Schmitt and Ronald Evans.
The Legacy of Apollo 17
The Apollo 17 mission was the sixth and last manned mission of the Apollo program, which started in 1961 with the goal of landing a man on the Moon before the end of the decade. Apollo 17 was also the first nighttime launch of a manned spacecraft and the only one to include a geologist as a crew member.
The scientific achievements of Apollo 17 were significant, as Schmitt, a trained geologist, was able to collect and analyze rock and soil samples that provided valuable insights into the origin and evolution of the Moon and the Solar System. The mission also set several records, including the longest manned lunar landing and the largest lunar sample return.
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Cernan’s Career and Contributions
Eugene Cernan was born in 1934 in Illinois and grew up to become a naval aviator and test pilot. He was selected as an astronaut in 1963 and flew in two previous missions, Gemini 9A and Apollo 10, before being chosen as the commander of Apollo 17.
Cernan’s leadership and technical skills were critical to the success of the mission, which faced several challenges, including a malfunctioning rover and a faulty flagpole. Cernan also set a personal record by driving the rover at a top speed of 11.2 miles per hour, which is still the fastest any human has ever traveled on the Moon.
After retiring from NASA in 1976, Cernan became a consultant and public speaker, advocating for space exploration and STEM education. He also wrote a memoir, “The Last Man on the Moon,” which was adapted into a documentary film in 2014.
The Artemis Program and the Future of Moon Exploration
The legacy of Apollo 17 and Cernan’s achievements continues to inspire the next generation of space explorers and scientists. NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024, builds on the legacy of Apollo and seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.
The Artemis program includes several robotic missions and commercial partnerships, as well as new technologies and spacesuits that will enable humans to explore and work on the Moon more effectively and safely. The program also aims to foster international cooperation and collaboration, as NASA seeks to work with other space agencies and private companies to achieve common goals in space exploration.
