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Born in Chicago, Illionois
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Cernan graduated from Proviso Township High School in Marywood, Illonois
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received a bachelor of science degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in 1956. Then recieved a master of science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California; recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Law degree from Western State University College of Law in 1969
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Cernan was one of fourteen astronauts selected by NASA
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The prime crew was killed in the crash of NASA T-38A "901" at Lambert Field on February 28, 1966, the backup crew became the prime crew
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On his second space flight, he was lunar module pilot of Apollo 10, May 18-26,
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He also recieved an honorary Doctorate of Engineering from Purdue University in 1970, Drexel University in 1977, and Gonzaga University & Comenius University of the Slovak Republic, Petroleum Economics and Management Seminar, Northwestern University, 1978.
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1972 was the last time man was ever to walk on the moon. The last spoken words said by Eugene were "Now lets get the mother **** out of here"
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He made his third space flight as spacecraft commander of Apollo 17--the last scheduled manned mission to the moon for the United States, December 6, 1972, with the first manned nighttime launch, and ednded on December 19, 1972.
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Cernan was a roaster of Don Rickles on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast. At the end of the roast, Rickles paid tribute to Cernan as a "delightful, wonderful, great hero."
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Cernan retired from both the Navy and from NASA, and went into private business.
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In September 1981, Cernan started his own company, The Cernan Corporation, to pursue management and consultant interests in the energy, aerospace, and other related industries.
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In 1999 he published his memoir The Last Man on the Moon with coauthor Donald A. Davis, covering his naval and NASA career
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Cernan and Neil Armstrong testified before U.S. Congress in opposition to President Barack Obama's cancellation of the Constellation program, initiated during the Bush administration as part of the Vision for Space Exploration to return humans to the Moon and later to Mars, but later deemed underfunded and unsustainable by the Augustine Commission in 2009.
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Cernan appeared on the BBC's astronomy program The Sky at Night in the episode entitled "Last Man on the Moon".
