"Don't count yourself out - you never know what fate has in store." - Eugene Cernan, in 2016.
Eugene Cernan died yesterday, surrounded by his family. He was 82.
Didn't we just do this in December?
Sometimes, it is important to be last.
Eugene Cernan was the last man to walk on the moon.
What kind of man was he?
Eugene Cernan left his daughter's initial in the moon's dust before he climbed on board his ship for the return to Earth.
We study the first words spoken on the moon, by astronaut Neil Armstrong. But how many of us remember the last words? Quoting:
"...America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow,"
Cernan said. "And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus- Littrow, we leave as
we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for
all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17."
Except that we never did return. And, of the twelve men who walked on the moon, only six are left now.
Except that both peace and hope seem to be in short supply nowadays.
Except that few of us could dream of what happened to the space program. Americans can't even get into space on their own anymore. We have to pay the Russians.
It wasn't supposed to end like this.
The last of the original seven astronauts gone. Now, the last man to walk on the moon.
RIP.
Day 17 of #blogboost the Ultimate Blog Challenge.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
12 comments:
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a poignant thought indeed. Loved the entire idea of your post- never thought of anyone other than Neil Armstrong when it comes to the moon landing...
ReplyDeleteIt's only going to get worse with the next administration....
ReplyDeleteThis is sad in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteThings really do seem to be going sideways lately. :( Thank you for this thoughtful post.
ReplyDeleteWell how sad is this? I have never heard of him. Our history teachers don't even mention the others that walked the moon.
ReplyDeleteThese astronauts were such important heroes for our generation. It is sad to see them passing.
ReplyDeleteWow. Rest in peace. Totally learned something new today. Thanks for sharing:-) Makes you really think about what a single person can do and is "worth"...
ReplyDeleteThat small group of men who walked on the moon fueled my imagination and filled my dreams with stardust and magic. Although I could never be the astronaut that I dreamed of being, I can always watch the stars and wonder at what lies out there. That was the gift that they gave to a shy little girl.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful blog post. We have so many memories of the pioneers that went into space.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I saw that. He had a good long life.
ReplyDeleteI think we will go back. We just need a good reason to. If someone can come up with one, it'll happen.
Beautiful tribute...thank you.
ReplyDeleteLovely. A walk on the Moon is what they wanted and got it too.
ReplyDelete