Gene Cernan
The last human to leave his footprints on the Moon, a symbol of both pinnacle achievement and the end of an era of exploration.
1934–2017 (age 83)·American astronaut and lunar explorer·Birthday: March 14·The Silent Generation
Biography
Gene Cernan, a Navy fighter pilot from Chicago, entered NASA's astronaut corps in the heat of the space race. His first flight was the Gemini 9A mission, where he conducted a perilous and physically grueling spacewalk that revealed the immense difficulties of working outside a spacecraft. He later piloted the lunar module during Apollo 10, a full dress rehearsal for the landing, skimming just miles above the Moon's surface. As commander of Apollo 17 in December 1972, he led the final crew of the Apollo program, spending three days exploring the Taurus-Littrow valley. Before climbing the ladder for the last time, he traced his daughter's initials in the lunar dust, leaving behind a legacy etched in regolith. Cernan spent his post-NASA life as a passionate advocate for renewed lunar and Martian exploration, forever haunted by his title 'the last man on the Moon'.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Gene was born in 1934, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Gene Was Born
The biggest hits of 1934
#1 Movie
It Happened One Night
Best Picture
It Happened One Night
Gene's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1934Born
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1939Started school
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1947Became a teenager
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1950Could drive
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1952Could vote
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1955Turned 21
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1964Turned 30
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1974Turned 40
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1984Turned 50
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1994Turned 60
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 70
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 80
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2017Died at 83
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
Key Achievements
- Served as the commander of Apollo 17, the final crewed mission to the Moon.
- Piloted the lunar module during the Apollo 10 mission, which tested all procedures except the actual landing.
- Conducted the second American spacewalk during the Gemini 9A mission.
- One of only three astronauts to travel to the Moon on two separate occasions (Apollo 10 & 17).
Did You Know?
He wrote his daughter's initials (TDC) in the lunar dust on the surface of the Moon.
He was the only astronaut to descend to the Moon in a lunar module twice (Apollo 10 and 17).
His spacesuit from Apollo 17 is on display at the National Air and Space Museum.
He retired from the U.S. Navy with the rank of Captain.
“We leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.”
