Gene Cernan

An American Hero has died. Captain Eugene Cernan. The last person to walk on the moon in 1972. He is a Hero of all humanity, not simply because he happened to be an American. His death is a sad day for anyone who thinks of themselves as an explorer.

I'd like to take a moment to remember him. He rode the great Saturn V twice, the Titan II/Gemini once, and was one of very few men to journey to the moon twice, on Apollo 10 and Apollo 17. After his historic trips, he was an outspoken advocate for space exploration, extolling the US Congress to provide funding in order to pursue manned space exploration and focusing on its value, both to science and engineering, and to the morale of the public. He believed the peaceful exploration of outer space, beyond Earth orbit, was not just a club to be joined by the wealthy nations of the world, but an honorable goal that was in itself its own reward. It was a concept, he felt, that had at its core, the very best from within us, and represented our shared basic need to explore the unknown. His words will be missed now, more than ever. His kind of person will be missed now, more than ever.

What is his 'kind' of person? What is that 60s Naval aviator/test pilot cum astronaut thing all about? Was it a bunch of fighter jocks vying for the biggest adventure out there on Uncle Sam's dime? Was it a group a thrill seekers who needed the ultimate fix? Was it a boys club who giggled, in a very puerile way, at the word 'cockpit'? Possibly. Probably a little, but it was also a group of men (and it was all men back then, sorry, no offense) who came to believe in what they were doing so entirely that it followed them for the rest of their lives. The ego-obsessed flyboys from the early days of jet aviation (and these were the very best, mind you) became enamored with the concept of Gemini and Apollo. They bought it, and they didn't have to half-ass it. They bought it because it was good. It was right. Even at the time of red scares and politics of the Cold War, it was something slightly different...because it was a concept that superseded the struggles of the West against the Reds. While born from that fear it became its own, independent operator and served to unite the pilots, the scientists, the engineers, the visionaries, and the politicians for one purpose - to go to the moon because it was there. And at the end of the day I would argue (passionately) that they all came to realize that the journey to the point where such a mission was possible, would produce such a wealth of understanding, of technology, of human achievement, that the simple flag-planting exercise would be entirely transcended. It was a step into the totally unknown, completely alien abyss, and it had to be done to foster in an entirely new age of exploration.

I cannot imagine that when we first journeyed away from Earth, left its orbit to set foot on another world, we even considered that we would not return there for 50 years. That we would go forward so fast, with such lust for the undiscovered, and then retreat back to safety and complacency. Cernan spoke once of his friend, the first person to walk on the moon in July 1969. He came in peace for all mankind. A video of his eulogy for Neil Armstrong may be found here: https://youtu.be/17k29vMozBg

I think it is a fitting bookend to an extraordinary life, not just because he happened to be the first, but because of how he chose to live his life in the years following that unique moment.

In regard to the exploration of space, there is one thing I can tell you, sir. The dream is alive. It is alive in my generation. It will be alive in the next generation. We will keep the dream alive for as long as we are able, through whatever hardships and whatever administrative challenges we face. Some of us, despite the popular view of millennials as being glued to smartphones, passive to all around us, know well what was achieved in the pioneering days of space exploration, know of the many, many sacrifices made by those brave men and women, and want to do them the honor of continuing their quest. We have no intention of letting 50 more years sail by while we 'work out our problems down here'. There will always be problems on Earth, but it is through uniting our vision and finding a unifying goal that transcends our minute differences that we will find ways through those problems in working on unworldly challenges. We will find solutions in our many perspectives which require, at their very core, a variety of cultural experiences. Our differences are our strengths. Our problems on Earth are no reason to ignore the realm above us; I am confident, in fact, that they are our salvation. Our conquest of space is a destiny, not a political pawn.

I want to remember Gene Cernan as a great pilot, a great astronaut, and a great man, who used his found celebrity to spread his belief that manned spaceflight was worth the expense and the risk. I would challenge a single astronaut to disagree with me. He believed that we found a very important aspect of humanity in flying to outer space, the desire to confront the unknown, and I believe he was right. I choose to cherish what I believe he's meant to say and make it something that will inspire me to think broader, reach higher, and pursue the goals necessary to make human spaceflight a reality whose benefits will clearly reward us all.