US astronaut Gene Cernan - the last
man to walk on the Moon - has died aged 82.
America's space agency Nasa said it
was "saddened by the loss" of the retired spaceman.
Captain Cernan was one of only three
people to go to the Moon twice and the last man to leave a footprint on the
lunar surface in 1972.
The final words he spoke there were:
"We leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return with peace and
hope for all mankind."
He was the commander of the Apollo 17
mission at the time.
Twelve people have walked on the
Moon, and only six of them are still alive today.
In a statement, Cernan's family said
he passed away on Monday following ongoing health issues. They did not give any
further details.
"It is with very deep sadness
that we share the loss of our beloved husband and father," the statement
said.
"Our family is heartbroken.
"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."
Before the Apollo 17 mission, Cernan
had travelled into space twice - in 1966 and 1969.
A qualified naval aviator, he was
selected into the third group of Nasa astronauts in 1963.
He retired in 1976, going into
private business and contributing to US television channels on a variety of
issues.
Cernan also produced a documentary
film about his life, which he discussed at length in this BBC interview in
2014.
Born on 14 March 1934 in Chicago, his
full name was Eugene Andrew Cernan.
He is survived by his wife Jan Nanna
Cernan, his daughter and two step-daughters and also nine grandchildren.
His family said details regarding his
funeral would be announced in the coming days.
Gene Cernan's death comes just weeks
after that of another Nasa astronaut, John Glenn.
No comments:
Post a Comment