Eugene Cernan was the commander of Apollo 17, the last mission, to date, to put a man on the Moon. In December 1972, Cernan and fellow astronaut Harrison Schmitt spent more than 22 hours, over three days, exploring the Moon’s surface -- taking rock and soil samples, conducting scientific experiments, and driving around in the Lunar Roving Vehicle. Cernan even set the unofficial land speed record for lunar travel, cranking the rover up to 11.2 miles per hour (18 km/h) during one exhilarating drive.
The last man on the Moon:
- Cernan's other spaceflight missions included Apollo 10 -- the "dress rehearsal" for the first lunar landing -- and Gemini 9A.
- Apollo 17 established several records for human spaceflight, including the longest lunar landing flight (301 hours, 51 minutes) and the largest amount of lunar samples returned to Earth (around 249 pounds or 113 kg).
- Cernan was the last person to walk on the Moon, while Neil Armstrong was the first. Both astronauts graduated from Purdue University. Eugene Cernan passed away in January 2017 at the age of 82.