[8], In October 1963, NASA selected Cernan as one of the third group of astronauts to participate in the Gemini and Apollo space programs. He graduated from Proviso Township High School in Maywood, Illinois. In accomplishing all of the assigned objectives of this mission, Apollo 10 confirmed the operations performance, stability, and reliability of the command/service module and lunar module configuration during trans-lunar coast, lunar orbit insertion, and lunar module separation and descent to within 8 nautical miles of the lunar surface. Cernan was also a backup crew member of the Gemini 12, Apollo 7 and Apollo 14 space missions. Jan. 16, 2017 12:50 PM PT. Cernanwas thecommander of Apollo 17 in 1972 and the last crew member to re-enter the lunar module. During the three days of Apollo 17's surface activity (Dec. 1114, 1972), Cernan and Schmitt performed three EVAs for a total of about 22 hours of exploration of the TaurusLittrow valley. Decades later,Cernantried to ensure he wasn't the last person to walk on the moon, testifying before Congress to push for a return. Cernan watched what was going on in the space program with interest, but there were plenty of things going on in his own life that kept him preoccupied. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. One of only three men to have visited the moon twice. He and Dr. Schmitt found themselves in a desolate but recognizable landscape near the Taurus Mountains and the Littrow Crater, a region of hills, cliffs and escarpments littered with tumbled rocks. Eugene Cernan's net worth Eugene Andrew Cernan (/sr.nn/; born March 14, 1934) is a retired American naval officer, fighter pilot and NASA astronaut. . [20][21], In 2014, Cernan appeared in the documentary The Last Man on the Moon, made by British filmmaker Mark Craig and based on Cernan's 1999 memoir of the same title. image/jpeg. Date of birth 1961 Teresa Woolie Siblings Teresa Dawn Woolie Age 57 (approx.) And God help us if they're not Americans,"Cernantestified before Congress in 2011. "Long after Apollo 17, he continued to inspire our dreams for the future. Born Mar 4, 1963 Parents. After a 250,000-mile voyage from Earth, they put down 300 feet from their target. Not only was he lucky to skip the ill-fated Apollo 13, his gamble worked.Cernan's next assignment was backup spacecraft commander for Apollo 14, and he made his third space flight as spacecraft Commander of Apollo 17--the last manned mission to the Moon for the United States--on December 6, 1972, with the first manned nighttime launch; they returned home on December 19.With him on the voyage of the command module "America" and the lunar module "Challenger" were Ronald Evans (command module pilot) and Harrison H. (Jack) Schmitt (lunar module pilot. Gene Cernan on the Moon Image Credit: NASA Published: October 5, 2017 In this photo, taken during the second Apollo 17 spacewalk on Dec. 12, 1972, astronaut Eugene Cernan is standing near the lunar rover. This provided NASA planners with critical knowledge of technical systems and lunar gravitational conditions to enable Apollo 11 to land on the Moon two months later. A Chicago native, he received an electrical engineering degree from Purdue and a Masters of Science in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. In 1966, he was pilot of Gemini 9, a three-day flight with command pilot Tom Stafford where they used different techniques to rendezvous with a docking adapter that was previously launched. (NASA via AP) In all, Cernan logged 566 hours and 15 minutes in space, more than 73 hours of them on the moon's surface. [42], A popular belief is that Cernan wrote his daughter's initials on a rock on the Moon, Tracy's Rock. In 1972, he commanded the Apollo 17 lunar-landing mission. Cernan was awarded NASAs first Ambassador of Exploration Award, the Federal Aviation Administrations prestigious Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, and the 2007 Lindbergh Spirit Award (presented only every five years). In maneuvering "Challenger" to a landing at Taurus-Littrow, located on the southeast edge of Mare Serenitatis, Cernan and Schmitt activated a base of operations from which they completed three highly successful excursions to the nearby craters and the Taurus mountains, making the Moon their home for over three days. And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. [10][39], On July 2, 1974, Cernan was a roaster of Don Rickles on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast. While Cernan and Schmitt conducted activities on the lunar surface, Evans remained in lunar orbit aboard the "America" completing other assigned work tasks. His spacewalk took place a year and two days after fellow astronaut Ed White had gone outside the spacecraft on Gemini IV for the first American spacewalk. Dr. Schmitt climbed into the lander, followed by Captain Cernan. His responsibilities were to enhance Coral's energy related programs on a worldwide basisIn September 1981, Captain Cernan started his own company, The Cernan Corporation, to pursue management and consultant interests in the energy, aerospace, and other related industries. Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, was immortalized in Modern Family and song Tracys Name. Later that spring, Cernan finished his two years at Monterey, and started planning for his third year of advanced study at Princeton. More about Eugene Cernan edit Dating History Grid List Table # 3 Jan Cernan 5 0 1986 He was also the second American to walk in space during the Gemini 9 mission. "I held, and do hold, all the Apollo-era astronauts in awe.". While Apollo 17 conveyed the drama of televised moonwalks, the awesome historicity of the Armstrong flight had faded, along with public interest in lunar missions that by 1972 had begun to seem repetitive. 1987 - January 16, 2017 (his death, 2 children). And then you look over your shoulder, and you're surrounded not by a blue sky, but by a black sky. Retired astronaut Eugene "Gene" Cernan died Monday at age 82. . [9] The crew, however, performed a rendezvous that simulated procedures that would be used in the Apollo 10 mission; the first optical rendezvous and a lunar-orbit-abort rendezvous. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in 1956 and a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the U.S. Captain Cernans final spaceflight, the capstone of the Apollo series, did not generate the worldwide excitement of the Armstrong-Aldrin adventure. He was 82. NASA announced that former astronaut Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, died Monday, Jan. 16, 2017, surrounded by his family. "He's your classic sort of handsome debonair flyboy," said space historian Roger Launius, associate director of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Cernan is one of only three astronauts to travel to the Moon on two occasions; the others being Jim Lovell and John Young. He had been a Navy attack pilot and earned a master's degree in aeronautical engineering when NASA selected him in October 1963 as one of 14 members of its third astronaut class. of 1 Everything from the dusty glove to his boyhood scrapbook is here to help us better understand Cernan's life and by extension humanity's first (and laster, most recent) steps on the moon.If this collection makes anything clear, it's that those steps were a shared experience on individual and deeply touching levels. At 1.54pm on 11 December 1972, Gene Cernan piloted Challenger, Apollo 17's lunar module, into the Taurus-Littrow valley, near the Sea of Serenity, on the surface of the moon. Eugene Andrew Cernan was born in Chicago on March 14, 1934, to Andrew Cernan, a supervisor at a naval installation, and the former Rose Cihlar. Two other missions were lunar orbital test runs, and Apollo 13 was an aborted landing after a malfunction. Naval Postgraduate School. His death was announced by NASA. Jurvetson wrote; "He found a reconciliation: 'I never read any of this in the news. Johnson Engineering provides NASA with Flight Crew Systems Development and has supported NASA in the design of crew stations for Space Shuttle, Spacelab, Space Station, Lunar Base and Mars Outpost, as well as the Weightless Environment Training Facility.He was married to Barbara Jean Atchley from 1961-1981; their daughter, Teresa Dawn, was nicknamed Tracy. In 1987, he married again, to Jan Nanna, and they lived in Houston. "Enriched by a singular event that is larger than life, I no longer have the luxury of being ordinary.". NASA announced that former astronaut Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, died Monday, Jan. 16, 2017, surrounded by his family. (AP) Eugene A. Cernan was born in 1934 in Chicago and graduated from Indiana's Purdue. He traced the initials of his only child 9-year-old daughter Teresa Dawn "Tracy" Cernan in the dust on the moon's surface . Some ancient civilization was here back in the 20th century, and look at the funny marks they made. Still, his mission was a technological triumph. Id like to dedicate the first step of Apollo 17 to all those who made it possible.. Gemini 9 was scheduled to dock with an Agena target vehicle, but the protective shroud did not eject making it look like "an angry alligator" according to fellow astronaut, For the launch of Apollo 17, by sundown on Dec. 6, 1972, about 700,000 people had gathered to witness the historic launch. He also circled the world twice as a tethered spacewalker. "It is with very deep sadness that we share the loss of our beloved husband and father," said Cernan's family. [28] He was buried with full military honors at Texas State Cemetery, the first astronaut to be buried there, in a private service on January 25, 2017. Mr. Cernan, who lived in Piney Point, a suburb of Houston, contributed to ABCs coverage of space-related news; narrated and was featured in documentaries; and wrote (with Don Davis) an autobiography, The Last Man on the Moon, published in 1999. Eugene "Gene," son of Andrew Cernan and Rose (Cihlar) Cernan, was born of Czech and Slovak descent on the 14th of March 1934, in Chicago, Illinois. Cernan was the spacecraft commander of Apollo 17 -- his third space flight and the last scheduled US manned mission to the moon -- in December 1972. A ferocious competitor with a test pilots reckless streak, Mr. Cernan (pronounced SIR-nun) rocketed into space three times, was the second American to drift weightless around the world on a tether, went to the moon twice and shattered aerospace records on the Earth and the moon. Eugene Cernan (Eugene Andrew Cernan) was born on 14 March, 1934 in Chicago, Illinois, USA, is a Writer, Miscellaneous. the initials of his daughter, Teresa Dawn Cernan. Texas Marriages and Divorces Teresa D Cernan, born 1954 Marion M Woolie was born circa 1955. All of a sudden, as the Earth turns, you look at Australia and Asia and Europe and the entire continent of Africa. It really allowed us to go places that we never would have been able to get to if we had to walk. The Saturn V's S-IVB stage and the spacecraft were inserted into an earth . He was senior U.S. negotiator with the Soviets on the test project. Oh, my golly. I heard all kinds of descriptions of what it was like, such as, "It was like a thousand suns." The story is inaccurate, as Cernan wrote her initials in the dust, not on a rock. After Apollo 17, Captain Cernan helped develop the United States-Soviet project Apollo-Soyuz. One daughter from first marriage, Teresa Dawn (. Among his numerous honors, the most significant are the Navy Distinguished Flying Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal with Star, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the FAI International Gold Medal for Space, induction into the U. S. Space Hall of Fame, enshrinement into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, Naval Aviations Hall of Honor and the International Aerospace Hall of Fame. As Cernan prepared to climb the ladder for the final time, he spoke these words, currently the last spoken by a human being standing on the lunar surface: Bob, this is Gene, and I'm on the surface; and, as I take man's last step from the surface, back home for some time to comebut we believe not too long into the futureI'd like to just (say) what I believe history will record: that America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow. "The difficult thing about that is they put an astronaut's life at great risk there. Science and technology got you there, but it's like you're standing on a plateau where science has met its match. In maneuvering "Challenger" to a landing at Taurus-Littrow, located on the southeast edge of Mare Serenitatis, Cernan and Schmitt activated a base of operations from which they completed three highly successful excursions to the nearby craters and the Taurus mountains, making the Moon their home for over three days.This last mission to the Moon established several new records for manned space flight that include: longest manned lunar landing flight (301 hours 51 minutes); longest lunar surface extravehicular activities (22 hours 6 minutes); largest lunar sample return (an estimated 115 kg (249 lbs.) He was 82. [about gravity on the Moon] There have been a number of people in zero gravity, but only 12 people have ever experienced one-sixth gravity. Apollo 10 (AS-505) - with crew members Thomas P. Stafford, Eugene A. Cernan, and John W. Young aboard - lifted off from Pad B, Launch Complex 39, KSC, at 12:49 p.m. EDT on the first lunar orbital mission with complete spacecraft. His hobbies included love for horses and all competitive sports activities, including hunting, fishing and flying. "Neil (Armstrong, who died in 2012) and I aren't going to see those next young Americans who walk on the moon. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. It's a totally different world. Cernanwas with his relatives when he died at a Houston hospital, family spokeswoman Melissa Wren told The Associated Press. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. Tracy's Rock, known as Split Rock or the Station 6 Boulder in the scientific literature, is a large boulder on the Moon which was visited by the Apollo 17 crew on December 13, 1972 at their Taurus-Littrow landing site. On Apollo 17, Cernan became the eleventh person to walk on the Moon . A statement from Cernan's family said, in part, "Even at the age of 82, Gene 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." Cernan was one of 14 astronauts selected by NASA in October 1963. American Astronaut Eugene Cernan was born Eugene Andrew Cernan on 14th March, 1934 in Chicago, Illinois and passed away on 16th Jan 2017 Houston, Texas, U.S. aged 82. After getting back from Apollo 10, Cernan took a gamble. [7]:2931 Following flight training on the T-28 Trojan, T-33 Shooting Star, and F9F Panther, Cernan became a Naval Aviator, flying FJ-4 Fury and A-4 Skyhawk jets in Attack Squadrons 126 and 113. Washington (AFP) - US astronaut Eugene Cernan, the last man to set foot on the moon, died at age 82, NASA and his family announced. It's a realization, 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.". She is flanked by friends, Father Eugene Cargill (L) and Al Bishop. Quotes Anyone can read what you share. 2 Theresa Dawn Cernan Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 2 Theresa Dawn Cernan Premium High Res Photos Browse 2 theresa dawn cernan stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. On July 1, 1976, Captain Cernan retired after over 20 years with the U. S. Navy. He also earned an Honorary Doctorate of Law degree from Western State University College of Law in 1969, an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering from Purdue University in 1970, and other honors from other universities. 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