The second American to walk in space, Eugene A. “Gene” Cernan was also the last man to walk on the Moon. After graduating from Purdue University, Cernan became a Naval Aviator flying jet aircraft and logging over 5,000 flight hours. In 1963 he was selected by NASA for its third astronaut class. He flew on Gemini 9, served as Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 10 and was the Spacecraft Commander for Apollo 17. After his last flight, he took on administrative duties for the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, until 1981 when he founded The Cernan Corporation, an aerospace and energy consulting firm. His memoir, The Last Man on the Moon, recounts his naval and NASA career.
