The Last Man on the Moon

Twelve astronauts walked on the moon. The most famous is Neil Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the Moon in July 1969. The last man to walk on the Moon was Eugene Cernan, in December 1972. Cernan was the eleventh person to walk on the Moon and "the last man on the Moon" since he was the last to re-enter the lunar module Challenger (Harrison Schmitt was "the last man to arrive on the Moon", as Cernan left the module first). Cernan is famous for this quote: “Truth needs no defense."

No human has been on the Moon since 1972 - which is more than 40 years. The exploration of space has been disrupted. From a technology perspective man has progressed during that time, but man is currently incapable to execute that final leap: conquering space.

Life on Earth is Fragile; it only takes one asteroid, one major volcanic eruption to destroy human life. Such catastrophes have happened numerous times in the history of Earth. For that reason man must invest in space exploration.

I have named Eugene, the heroic dog in my novel CELETERRA, after Cernan.

 

"Too many years have passed for me to still be the last man to have left his footprints on the Moon. I believe with all my heart that somewhere out there is a young boy or girl with indomitable will and courage who will lift that dubious distinction from my shoulders and take us back where we belong. Let us give that dream a chance." - Captain Eugene A. Cernan