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Ken Mattingly

2025-10-29T14:46:27Z

2A00:23C8:BB93:4701:F427:DFFF:FEAE:9C71:

{{Short description|American astronaut (1936–2023)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox astronaut
|name = Ken Mattingly
|image = Astronaut Thomas K. (Ken) Mattingly.jpg
|caption = Mattingly in 1971
|birth_name = Thomas Kenneth Mattingly II
|birth_date = {{birth date|1936|3|17}}
|birth_place = [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], U.S.
|death_date = {{death date and age|2023|10|31|1936|3|17}}
|death_place = [[Arlington, Virginia]], U.S.
|spouse = {{marriage|Elizabeth Dailey|1970}}
|children = 1
|education = [[Auburn University]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])
|awards = [[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]
|type = [[NASA astronaut]]
|rank = [[Rear admiral (upper half)|Rear Admiral]], [[United States Navy|USN]]
|time = 21d 4h 34m
|selection = [[NASA Astronaut Group 5|NASA Group 5 (1966)]]
|eva1 = 1
|eva2 = 1h 23m
|mission = {{ubl|[[Apollo 16]]|[[STS-4]]|[[STS-51-C]]}}
|insignia = [[File:Apollo-16-LOGO.png|45px]] [[File:STS-4 patch.svg|48px]] [[File:51-c-patch.png|45px]]
|retirement = June 1985
}}
'''Thomas Kenneth Mattingly II''' (March 17, 1936 – October 31, 2023) was an American [[Naval aviator (United States)|aviator]], [[aeronautical engineer]], [[test pilot]], [[Rear admiral (United States)|rear admiral]] in the [[United States Navy]], and [[astronaut]] who flew on [[Apollo 16]] and [[Space Shuttle]] [[STS-4]] and [[STS-51-C]] missions.

Born in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], Mattingly was scheduled to fly on the [[Apollo 13]] mission, but three days before launch, he was replaced by [[Jack Swigert]] because he was exposed to [[German measles]] (which Mattingly did not contract). Mattingly flew as [[Command Module Pilot]] for Apollo 16 and made 64 lunar orbits,<ref>[https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4029/Apollo_16a_Summary.htm NASA Apollo 16 summary page]</ref> making him one of [[List of Apollo astronauts#Apollo astronauts who flew to the Moon without landing|24 astronauts to fly to the Moon]].<ref name="NASA Bio">{{cite web |url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/mattingly_thomas.pdf|title=Astronaut Bio: Thomas K. Mattingly II|publisher=NASA|date=January 1987|access-date=April 14, 2021}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> Mattingly and his Apollo 16 commander, [[John Young (astronaut)|John Young]], are the only people to have flown to the [[Moon]] and also a Space Shuttle mission. ([[Fred Haise]], Mattingly's originally scheduled crewmate for Apollo 13, performed atmospheric flight testing of the Space Shuttle [[Approach and Landing Tests#Crews|Approach and Landing Tests]].)

During Apollo 16's return flight to Earth, Mattingly performed an [[extravehicular activity]] (EVA) to retrieve film cassettes from the exterior of the spacecraft, the [[command and service module]]. It was the second "deep space" EVA in history, at great distance from any [[planetary body]]. It was one of three such EVAs which took place during the [[Apollo program]]'s [[List of Apollo missions#Alphabetical mission types|J-missions]].<ref name="Drew">{{cite web|url=https://www.drewexmachina.com/2017/12/17/a-history-of-deep-space-evas/|title=A History of Deep Space EVAs|last=LePage |first=Andrew|date=December 17, 2017|website=drewexmachina}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Thomas Kenneth Mattingly II was born on March 17, 1936, in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], to Thomas Kenneth Mattingly (1903–1995) and Constance Mason Mattingly ({{Nee|Clarke}}; 1905–1997).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/biographies-list/bios-m/Mattingly-Thomas/Mattingly-Thomas-Text.html|title=Mattingly, Thomas Kenneth, II|date=May 5, 1972|publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command|access-date=December 15, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL9S-QFG7|title=Thomas Kenneth Mattingly: Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates, 1871–1940 |website=FamilySearch|access-date=December 15, 2019}}</ref> His father, who had been hired by [[Eastern Airlines]] soon after his son's birth, moved the family to [[Hialeah, Florida]]. Aviation became part of Mattingly's life from a very young age; he later recalled that his "earliest memories...all had to do with airplanes".<ref name=":2"/>

Mattingly was active in the [[Boy Scouts of America]] where he achieved its second highest rank, [[Life Scout]]. He graduated from [[Miami Edison High School]] in 1954, and went on to receive a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[aeronautical engineering]] from [[Auburn University]] in 1958.<ref name=":2">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GtgoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA53|title=The Last of NASA's Original Pilot Astronauts: Expanding the Space Frontier in the Late Sixties|last1=Shayler|first1=David J.|last2=Burgess|first2=Colin|date=June 19, 2017|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-3-319-51014-9|pages=53–54}}</ref> He was also a member of [[Delta Tau Delta]] fraternity (Epsilon Alpha chapter).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.delts.org/about/famousdelts.html|title=Famous Delts|publisher=Delta Tau Delta|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100515135404/http://delts.org/about/famousdelts.html|archive-date=May 15, 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=August 19, 2010}} Retrieved February 19, 2012</ref>

== Military career ==
Mattingly was commissioned in the U.S. Navy as an [[Ensign (rank)|ensign]] in 1958 and received his [[United States Aviator Badge|aviator wings]] in 1960. He was then assigned to [[Second VA-35 (U.S. Navy)|Attack Squadron Thirty-five (VA-35)]] at [[Naval Air Station Oceana]], Virginia, and flew [[Douglas A-1 Skyraider|Douglas A-1H Skyraider]] propeller aircraft aboard the [[aircraft carrier]] {{USS|Saratoga|CV-60|6}} from 1960 to 1963. In July 1963, he was transferred to Heavy Attack Squadron Eleven ([[RVAH-11|VAH-11]]) at [[Naval Air Station Sanford]], Florida, where he flew [[Douglas A-3 Skywarrior|Douglas A-3B Skywarrior]] jet aircraft for two years and deployed aboard {{USS|Franklin D. Roosevelt|CV-42|6}}.<ref name="NASA Bio"/>

While Mattingly was based at Sanford, a fellow officer invited him along on a mission to take aerial photos of the [[Cape Canaveral]] launch of [[Gemini 3]] (carrying Mattingly's future Apollo 16 Commander John W. Young) from the air.<ref name="oralhistory"/>

During his second cruise, Mattingly attempted to join the [[United States Naval Test Pilot School]] at [[Naval Air Station Patuxent River]], but the cruise ended after the class started. However, he was selected to attend the [[U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School|U.S. Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School]] at [[Edwards Air Force Base]] in California,<ref name="oralhistory">{{cite web|last1=Wright|first1=Rebecca|title=Thomas K. Mattingly II|website=NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project|publisher=NASA |access-date=May 3, 2021|url=https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/MattinglyTK/MattinglyTK_11-6-01.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503132654/https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/MattinglyTK/MattinglyTK_11-6-01.htm|archive-date=May 3, 2021|date=November 6, 2001 |url-status=live}}</ref> where future astronauts [[Edgar Mitchell]] and [[Karol J. Bobko]] were his classmates and his instructors included [[Charles Duke]], his Apollo 16 crewmate, and [[Henry W. Hartsfield Jr.]], whom Mattingly later commanded on STS-4.

== NASA career ==
[[File:The Original Apollo 13 Prime Crew - GPN-2000-001166.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|Mattingly (center) as part of the original prime crew for Apollo 13]]

=== Selection and training ===
On September 10, 1965, NASA began the selection process for the [[NASA Astronaut Group 5|fifth astronaut group]]. From a pool of 351 applicants, NASA picked 159 candidates who met the basic qualifications, including being [[Citizenship of the United States|United States citizens]] born on or after December 1, 1929, who were no more than six feet tall. They were also required to have at least 1,000 hours of flight time in jet aircraft. Mattingly had previously shown little interest and inclination to apply for the astronaut program, but his views changed at the Air Force Test Pilot School where he and his classmates were offered the chance to apply for either [[NASA]] or the [[United States Air Force]] (USAF) [[Manned Orbiting Laboratory]] program. Mattingly and Mitchell chose the latter and were rejected. The deadline for applying for the NASA group had passed, but one of their instructors was able to get NASA to accept their applications.<ref name="oralhistory"/> On the interview panel the astronaut office representatives were John W. Young and [[Michael Collins (astronaut)|Michael Collins]], who were at that time in training as prime crew for [[Gemini 10]]. Mattingly later recollected that he was "perplexed" by Young. Collins asked Mattingly how he felt about the [[Lockheed F-104 Starfighter]], to which Mattingly replied that he thought it was a "fun aircraft" but without worth in combat. Collins appeared to dislike the answer and Mattingly felt he had blown his chance. However, after the conclusion of the selection process, Mattingly was called by NASA's Director of Flight Crew Operations [[Deke Slayton]] with an offer to become an astronaut.<ref name="oralhistory" />

At the time of his selection, Mattingly had 2,582 hours of flight experience, including 1,036 hours in jet aircraft. He also had a bachelor's degree in engineering or in the physical or biological sciences as required by the initial qualifications. From the 100 military personnel and 59 civilian candidates, NASA selected 19 to join the group for training as astronauts.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/roundups/issues/66-04-15.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413181928/http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/roundups/issues/66-04-15.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 13, 2009|title=Newly-Selected Group of 19 Astronauts Reports Next Month for Duty|date=April 15, 1966|publisher=NASA|access-date=December 9, 2019|pages=4–5}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

Mattingly, a lieutenant in the Navy,<ref name=":0"/> was a student at the U.S. Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards AFB, California, when NASA selected him as an astronaut in April 1966.<ref name="NASA Bio"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28240973/the_high_point_enterprise/|title=19 New Spacemen Are Named|last1=Thompson|first1=Ronald|newspaper=The High Point Enterprise|location=High Point, North Carolina|date=April 5, 1966|page=2A|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

=== Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 ===
[[File:Ken Mattingly poses at the launch pad.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|Mattingly poses at the launch pad.]]
At first, Mattingly was part of the support crew for [[Apollo 8]].<ref name="spacecomhowell">{{cite web |last1=Howell |first1=Elizabeth |title=Ken Mattingly: Apollo 16 Astronaut |url=https://www.space.com/20689-ken-mattingly-astronaut-biography.html |website=[[Space.com]] |publisher=[[Future plc]] |access-date=May 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503132201/https://www.space.com/20689-ken-mattingly-astronaut-biography.html |archive-date=May 3, 2021 |date=April 16, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> Mattingly served as [[Capsule communicator|CAPCOM]] during Apollo 8's second television transmission and subsequent preparation for [[trans-Earth injection]].{{Sfn|Lovell|Kluger|1994|p=54}}

Mattingly then trained in parallel with [[William Anders|Bill Anders]] for [[Apollo 11]] as backup command module pilot, because Anders was going to retire from NASA in August 1969 and, in case of mission delay, would be unavailable.<ref name="oralhistory" />

=== Apollo 13 ===
{{Main|Apollo 13}}
Mattingly was to be the Command Module Pilot on the [[Apollo 13]] mission. Originally, [[Jim Lovell]], Mattingly and [[Fred Haise]] were scheduled to fly on [[Apollo 14]] but his crew was switched to Apollo 13 so that the commander of the other crew, [[Alan Shepard]], who was grounded during [[Project Gemini]] could train longer. Three days prior to launch, he was removed from the mission because he had been exposed to [[German measles]] (which he never contracted) and was replaced by the backup CM pilot, [[Jack Swigert]].<ref name=":1">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/04/17/archives/thomas-kenneth-mattingly-2d.html|title=Thomas Kenneth Mattingly 2d|last=Rensberger|first=Boyce|date=April 17, 1972|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=December 10, 2019|pages=24}}</ref> As a result, he missed the dramatic in-flight explosion that crippled the spacecraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/swigert_john.pdf|title=Biographical Data: John L. Swigert, Jr., NASA astronaut (deceased)|date=January 1983|website=Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center|publisher=NASA|access-date=December 9, 2019}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> However, Mattingly played a large role in helping the crew solve the problem of power conservation during re-entry.<ref name=":1"/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LDJ43xYxK5YC|title=Apollo 13|last1=Lovell|first1=Jim|last2=Kluger|first2=Jeffrey|date=1994|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|isbn=978-0-618-61958-0|location=Boston|pages=287}}</ref>

=== Apollo 16 ===
{{Main|Apollo 16}}
[[File:S72-37001.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|Mattingly performs a deep-space EVA during Apollo 16]]
The swapout from Apollo 13 placed Mattingly on the crew that flew [[Apollo 16]] (April 16–27, 1972), the fifth crewed lunar landing mission. The crew included [[John Young (astronaut)|John Young]] (Commander), Mattingly (Command Module Pilot), and [[Charles Duke|Charlie Duke]] ([[Lunar Module]] Pilot). The mission assigned to Apollo 16 was to collect samples from the lunar highlands near the crater [[Descartes (crater)|Descartes]]. While in [[lunar orbit]] the scientific instruments aboard the Command/Service Module ''Casper'' extended the photographic and geochemical mapping of a belt around the lunar equator. A combined total of 26 separate scientific experiments were conducted in lunar orbit and during cislunar coast.<ref name="NASA Bio"/>

During the return leg of the mission, Mattingly carried out an [[extravehicular activity]] (EVA) to retrieve film and data packages from the science bay on the side of the service module. Although the mission of Apollo 16 was terminated one day early out of concern over several spacecraft malfunctions, all major objectives were accomplished.<ref name="NASA Bio"/>

=== Space Shuttle flights ===
{{Main|STS-4|STS-51-C}}
Following his return to Earth, Mattingly served in astronaut managerial positions in the [[Space Shuttle]] development program.<ref name="NASA Bio"/>

Mattingly was named to command [[STS-4]], the fourth and final orbital test flight of the {{OV|Columbia}}, launched from [[Kennedy Space Center]], Florida, on June 27, 1982, with [[Henry W. Hartsfield Jr.]], as the pilot. This seven-day mission was designed to further verify ascent and entry phases of shuttle missions; perform continued studies of the effects of long-term thermal extremes on the orbiter subsystems; and conduct a survey of orbiter-induced contamination on the orbiter payload bay. Additionally, the crew operated several scientific experiments located in the orbiter's cabin and in the payload bay. These experiments included the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System experiment designed to investigate the separation of biological materials in a fluid according to their surface electrical charge.<ref name="NASA Bio"/><ref name="ContinuousFlow">{{cite web |last1=Snyder |first1=Robert S. |last2=Rhodes |first2=Percy H. |last3=Miller |first3=Teresa Y. |title=Continuous flow electrophoresis system experiments on shuttle flights STS-6 and STS-7 |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19880001596/downloads/19880001596.pdf |website=NTRS – NASA Technical Reports Server |publisher=[[NASA]] |access-date=May 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503133641/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19880001596/downloads/19880001596.pdf |archive-date=May 3, 2021 |date=October 1987 |url-status=live}}</ref> This experiment was a pathfinder for the first commercial venture to capitalize on the unique characteristics of space. The crew is also credited with effecting an in-flight repair which enabled them to activate the first operational "[[Getaway Special]]" (composed of nine experiments that ranged from [[algae]] and [[duckweed]] growth in space to [[Drosophila melanogaster|fruit fly]] and [[brine shrimp]] genetic studies). STS-4 completed 112 orbits of the Earth before landing at [[Edwards Air Force Base]], California, on July 4, 1982.<ref name="NASA Bio"/> Mattingly and Hartsfield were greeted by President [[Ronald Reagan]] after the landing; Reagan recognized the pair, both graduates of [[Auburn University]], as "you two sons of Auburn" in his welcoming speech.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/research/speeches/70482a|title=Remarks at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on Completion of the Fourth Mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia|publisher=Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum|access-date=January 20, 2018}}</ref>

[[STS-51-C]], the first Space Shuttle [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] mission, launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on January 24, 1985. The crew included Mattingly (spacecraft commander), [[Loren Shriver]] (pilot), [[James Buchli]] and [[Ellison Onizuka]] ([[Mission Specialist]]s), and [[Gary Payton (astronaut)|Gary Payton]] ([[Manned Spaceflight Engineer]]). STS-51-C performed its DOD mission which included deployment of a modified Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) vehicle from the {{OV|Discovery}}. Landing occurred on January 27, 1985.<ref name="NASA Bio"/>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:NASA salutes Reagans.jpg|Mattingly (foreground) with [[Henry Hartsfield]] salutes President [[Ronald Reagan]], next to First Lady [[Nancy Reagan]], after the STS-4 landing on July 4, 1982
File:Ronald and Nancy Reagan NASA 1982.jpg|"President Ronald Reagan chats with NASA astronauts Henry Hartsfield and Thomas Mattingly on the runway as first lady Nancy Reagan scans the nose of Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' following its Independence Day landing at Edwards Air Force Base on July 4, 1982."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/Features/STS-4_30th_anniversary.html|title=Independence Day at NASA Dryden - 30 Years Ago|publisher=NASA|date=July 3, 2012|access-date=November 11, 2017|archive-date=April 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405093159/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/Features/STS-4_30th_anniversary.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
File:Commodore Thomas K. Mattingly II, USN (2).jpg|Mattingly in his Navy uniform in 1985
</gallery>

== Post-NASA career ==
In 1985, Mattingly retired from NASA, then retired from the Navy the following year with the two-star rank of [[Rear admiral (United States)#rear admiral|Rear admiral (upper half)]], and entered the [[private sector]]. He worked as a [[Director (business)|Director]] in [[Grumman]]'s Space Station Support Division. He then headed the Atlas booster program for [[General Dynamics]] in San Diego, California.<ref>{{cite web|title=International Space Hall of Fame: Thomas K. Mattingly II|url=https://www.nmspacemuseum.org/inductee/thomas-k-mattingly-ii/ |publisher=New Mexico Museum of Space History|access-date=November 4, 2023 |year=2005}}</ref> At [[Lockheed Martin]] he was vice president in charge of the [[X-33]] development program.<ref name="spacecomhowell"/> He then worked at Systems Planning and Analysis in [[Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Ken Mattingly, who launched to the moon on Apollo 16, dies at 87 |url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-110223a-thomas-ken-tk-mattingly-nasa-astronaut-obituary.html |website=Collect Space |access-date=November 4, 2023 |date=November 2, 2023}}</ref>

Mattingly logged 7,200 hours of flight time, including 5,000 hours in [[jet aircraft]].<ref name="NASA Bio" />

Mattingly was a member of many organizations. He was an associate fellow, [[American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics]]; [[fellow]], [[American Astronautical Society]]; and member, [[Society of Experimental Test Pilots]], and the [[U.S. Naval Institute]].<ref name="NASA Bio" />

== Personal life and death==
In 1970, he married Elizabeth Dailey.<ref name=":1"/> They had one child.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1PBrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT243 |title=The Mission of a Lifetime: Lessons from the Men Who Went to the Moon|last=Hero|first=Basil|date=April 2, 2019|publisher=Grand Central Publishing|isbn=978-1-5387-4850-3|page=243}}</ref>

Mattingly died in [[Arlington, Virginia]], on October 31, 2023, at age 87.<ref name="NASA death announcement"/><ref>{{Cite news |title=Ken Mattingly, Astronaut Scrubbed From Apollo 13, Is Dead at 87 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/science/space/ken-mattingly-dead.html |last=Goldstein |first=Richard |date=November 2, 2023 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> NASA announced his death two days later on November 2.<ref name="NASA death announcement">{{Cite press release |last1=Donaldson |first1=Abbey |date=November 2, 2023 |title=NASA Administrator Remembers Apollo Astronaut Thomas K. Mattingly II |publisher=[[NASA]] |url=https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-administrator-remembers-apollo-astronaut-thomas-k-mattingly-ii/}}</ref>

== Awards and honors ==
Mattingly was a recipient of numerous awards. He was awarded the [[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]] (2);<ref>{{cite web|url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4012/vol4/appa.htm|title=National Aeronautics and Space Administration Honor Awards|access-date=March 24, 2012}}</ref> Johnson Space Center Certificate of Commendation (1970); JSC Group Achievement Award (1972); [[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]; [[Navy Expeditionary Medal]]; [[National Defense Service Medal]]; [[NASA Space Flight Medal]]; [[Astronaut Badge#U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard astronauts|Navy Astronaut Wings]]; Society of Experimental Test Pilots [[Ivan C. Kincheloe Award]] (1972); [[Delta Tau Delta]] Achievement Award (1972); Auburn Alumni Engineers Council Outstanding Achievement Award (1972); American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award for 1972; [[AIAA]] Haley Astronautics Award for 1973; [[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale]] awarded him the [[Vladimir Komarov|V. M. Komarov]] Diploma in 1973; [[Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal]] (1982).<ref name="NASA Bio" />

Mattingly was inducted with a group of Apollo astronauts into the [[International Space Hall of Fame]] in 1983.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29964158/el_paso_times/|title=Space Hall Inducts 14 Apollo Program Astronauts|last1=Sheppard|first1=David|newspaper=El Paso Times|location=El Paso, Texas|date=October 2, 1983|page=18|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> He was one of 24 Apollo astronauts who were inducted into the [[U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame]] in 1997.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28283877/florida_today/|title=Ceremony to Honor Astronauts|newspaper=Florida Today|location=Cocoa, Florida|page=2B|date=October 2, 1997|last1=Meyer|first1=Marilyn|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> His name also appears on [[The Astronaut Monument]] in [[Húsavík]], Iceland, commemorating 32 Apollo astronauts who were sent to Iceland for geological training in the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Apollo astronauts revisit training area in Iceland and explore a new lava flow – The Exploration Museum|url = http://www.explorationmuseum.com/2015/07/astronauts-revisit-training-area-and-explore-a-new-lava-flow/|website = www.explorationmuseum.com|access-date = August 9, 2015|archive-date = April 2, 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190402042808/http://www.explorationmuseum.com/2015/07/astronauts-revisit-training-area-and-explore-a-new-lava-flow/|url-status = dead}}</ref>

== In media ==
Mattingly was portrayed by [[Gary Sinise]] in the 1995 movie ''[[Apollo 13 (film)|Apollo 13]]'' and by [[Željko Ivanek]] in the 1998 [[HBO]] miniseries ''[[From the Earth to the Moon (miniseries)|From the Earth to the Moon]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/character/ch0005118/|title=Ken Mattingly (Character)|website=IMDb|access-date=June 2, 2012}}</ref> Interviews with Mattingly were also used as part of the narrative track on the 1989 documentary film ''[[For All Mankind (film)|For All Mankind]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=For All Mankind – Criterion UHD Blu-ray Review |url=https://www.hometheaterforum.com/for-all-mankind-criterion-uhd-blu-ray-review/ |website=Home Theater Forum |access-date=November 4, 2023 |date=May 4, 2022}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite web |url=https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/MattinglyTK/mattinglytk.htm |title=T. K. Mattingly Oral History Interviews |website=Johnson Space Center Oral History Project |publisher=NASA}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.astronautix.com/m/mattingly.html Astronautix biography of Ken Mattingly]
* {{IMDb name|0560325}}
* {{C-SPAN|49269}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mattingly, Ken}}
[[Category:Ken Mattingly| ]]
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:1972 in spaceflight]]
[[Category:1982 in spaceflight]]
[[Category:1985 in spaceflight]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:American aerospace engineers]]
[[Category:American test pilots]]
[[Category:Apollo 13]]
[[Category:Apollo 16]]
[[Category:Apollo program astronauts]]
[[Category:Auburn University alumni]]
[[Category:Aviators from Illinois]]
[[Category:Engineers from Illinois]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Chicago]]
[[Category:People from Hialeah, Florida]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]
[[Category:Space Shuttle program astronauts]]
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[[Category:United States Navy rear admirals (upper half)]]

Ronald Evans (astronaut)

2025-10-29T14:40:30Z

2A00:23C8:BB93:4701:F427:DFFF:FEAE:9C71:

{{Short description|American astronaut and lunar explorer (1933–1990)}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{for|persons of a similar name|Ronald Evans (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox astronaut
|name = Ronald Evans
|image = Ronald Evans.jpg
|caption = Evans in 1971
|alt = Evans posing in his spacesuit
|birth_name = Ronald Ellwin Evans Jr.
|birth_date = {{birth date|1933|11|10}}
|birth_place = [[St. Francis, Kansas]], U.S.
|death_date = {{death date and age|1990|4|7|1933|11|10}}
|death_place = [[Scottsdale, Arizona]], U.S.
|education = {{ubl|[[University of Kansas]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])|[[Naval Postgraduate School]] ([[Master of Science|MS]])}}
|awards = {{ubl|[[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]|[[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]|[[Air Medal]] (8)|[[Navy Commendation Medal]]}}
|type = [[NASA astronaut]]
|rank = [[Captain (United States O-6)|Captain]], [[United States Navy|USN]]
|time = 12d 13h 52m
|selection = [[NASA Astronaut Group 5|NASA Group 5 (1966)]]
|eva1 = 1
|eva2 = 1h 5m
|mission = [[Apollo 17]]
|insignia = [[File:Apollo 17-insignia.png|48px]]
|retirement = March 15, 1977
}}
'''Ronald Ellwin Evans Jr.''' (November 10, 1933 – April 7, 1990) was an American [[electrical engineer]], [[aeronautical engineer]], officer and [[United States naval aviator|aviator]] in the [[United States Navy]], and [[NASA astronaut]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-10 |title=Apollo 17 {{!}} Overview & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Apollo-17#ref1245265 |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> As [[Command Module Pilot]] on [[Apollo 17]] he was one of the 24 astronauts to fly to the Moon, and one of [[List of Apollo astronauts#Apollo astronauts who flew to the Moon without landing|12 astronauts to fly to the Moon without landing]].

Before becoming an astronaut, Evans graduated with a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[electrical engineering]] from the [[University of Kansas]] and joined the U.S. Navy in 1956. After receiving his naval aviator [[United States Aviator Badge|wings]], he served as a [[fighter pilot]] and flew [[Aerial warfare|combat]] missions during the [[Vietnam War]]. In 1964 he received a [[Master of Science]] degree in [[aeronautical engineering]] from the U.S. [[Naval Postgraduate School]]. Achieving the rank of [[Captain (U.S. Navy)|captain]], he retired from the Navy in 1976.

Evans was selected as an astronaut by NASA as part of [[NASA Astronaut Group 5]] in 1966 and made his only [[spaceflight]] as command Module pilot aboard Apollo 17 in December 1972, the last crewed mission to the [[Moon]], with Commander [[Gene Cernan]] and [[Apollo Lunar Module|Lunar Module]] Pilot [[Harrison Schmitt]]. During the flight, Evans [[Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, and Phooey|and five mice]] orbited the Moon a record 75 times as his two crewmates descended to and explored the surface. He is the last person to orbit the Moon alone and, at 147 hours and 43 minutes, holds the record for the most time spent in lunar orbit. During Apollo 17's return flight to Earth, Evans performed an [[extravehicular activity]] (EVA) to retrieve film cassettes from the [[service module]]. It was the third "deep space" EVA, and is the spacewalk performed at the greatest distance from any planetary body. {{As of| {{year}}}}, it remains one of only three deep space EVAs, all made during the [[Apollo program]]'s [[List of Apollo missions#Alphabetical mission types|J-missions]]. It was the final spacewalk of the Apollo program.

In 1975, Evans served as backup Command Module Pilot for the [[Apollo–Soyuz Test Project]] mission. He worked on the development of the [[Space Shuttle]] before retiring from NASA in March 1977 to become a coal industry executive. Evans died from a heart attack in 1990, aged 56.

==Early life and education==
Ronald Ellwin Evans was born on November 10, 1933, in [[St. Francis, Kansas]],<ref name="nasabio">{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/evans_ronald.pdf|title=Biographical data: Ronald E. Evans (Captain, USN ret.) NASA Astronaut (deceased) |publisher=NASA|access-date=January 21, 2021 |date=April 1990}}</ref> the son of Clarence Ellwin "Jim" Evans (1911–1985) and his wife Marie A. ({{nee|Priebe}}; 1913–1992).{{sfn|Shayler|Burgess|2017|pp=43–45}} He had two younger siblings, Larry Joe Evans and Jay Evans.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|p=4}} He was active in the [[Boy Scouts of America]] where he achieved its second highest rank, [[Life Scout]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Astronauts With Scouting Experience |date=July 31, 2019 |publisher=IEEE |url=https://r5.ieee.org/houston/astronauts-with-scouting-experience/ |access-date= January 20, 2022}}</ref> He attended St. Francis Elementary School. His father served in the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]]. Evans started his secondary education at St. Francis High School, but only attended for two months before the family moved to [[Topeka, Kansas]] to seek medical treatment for his brother Larry, who was diagnosed with [[liver cancer]]. Larry died in 1951, and his parents separated. Evans attended [[Highland Park High School (Topeka, Kansas)|Highland Park High School]] in Topeka, where he served on the Student Council, and was the president of the Science Club. He was a member of the school [[American football]] team,{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=8–12}} and was an All-Conference [[Guard (gridiron football)|guard]].{{sfn|Shayler|Burgess|2017|pp=43–45}} His other brother, Dale, secured a football scholarship to [[Kansas State University]] where he played [[college football]], and later played professionally for the [[Denver Broncos]]. Later Dale served two tours of duty in Vietnam with the [[United States Marine Corps]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Obituary of Jay Dale Evans |publisher=Hedges Scott Funeral Homes |url=https://hedgesscottfuneralhomes.com/tribute/details/2868/Jay-Evans/obituary.html |access-date= January 20, 2022}}</ref>

Evans decided to study [[electrical engineering]] at the [[University of Kansas]]. His application was accepted, and he was offered a place starting in September 1951. His family had little money, so in order to pay for his college education he secured a scholarship from the [[Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps]] (NROTC). During the fraternities' [[rush week]] he joined the [[Sigma Nu]] fraternity. He earned extra money selling [[Chesterfield (cigarette)|Chesterfield]] cigarettes, and had a cigarette vending machine installed in the Sigma Nu fraternity house. NROTC training involved a parade for one hour each week, and during the summer break there were midshipman cruises on warships. The first was on the [[battleship]] {{USS|Wisconsin|BB-64|6}}. In his [[sophomore]] year there was an introduction to naval aviation at [[Naval Air Station Corpus Christi]] in Texas. This experience inspired Evans to become a [[United States naval aviator|naval aviator]]. The third year cruise was to Europe on the {{USS|Gwin|DM-33|6}}, a [[destroyer minelayer]]. In his [[junior year]] he was elected to the [[Sigma Tau]], [[Tau Beta Pi]] and [[Sigma Xi]] engineering honor societies. During his final summer break he worked in a glass factory to gain general engineering experience. He graduated with his [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in electrical engineering in June 1956.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=13–23}}

==Navy==
In a letter dated December 12, 1955, the Navy offered Evans a commission as an [[ensign (rank)|ensign]] and designated him a student aviator. He reported to [[Naval Air Station Pensacola]] in February 1956 for basic flight training in the [[Beechcraft T-34 Mentor]], and made his first solo flight on May 21. He then progressed to the more powerful [[North American T-28 Trojan]]. His flight training then moved to [[Naval Outlying Landing Field Barin]] in [[Alabama]], where student aviators practised landing on an [[aircraft carrier]] using an outline painted on the runway in the old [[North American T-6 Texan]] (known as the SNJ). Six actual landings were then made on the aircraft carrier {{USS|Saipan|CVL-48|6}}.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=24–31}} Evans returned to Topeka for Christmas leave. There he met Janet Merle (Jan) Pollom, who worked as a secretary at [[Forbes Air Force Base]], and fell in love with her.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=31–34}}{{sfn|Shayler|Burgess|2017|pp=43–45}} On January 4, 1957, he reported to [[Naval Air Station Memphis]], where he was taught instrument flying, culminating in a [[ground-controlled approach]] test. He then learned how to fly a jet aircraft, the [[Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star]]. In a ceremony on April 12 attended by Pollom, her mother, and Evans's mother, the chief of the Naval Air Technical Training Command, [[Rear Admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Frank Peak Akers|Frank P. Akers]] handed out certificates to Evans's class designating them as naval aviator. Pollom pinned his [[United States Aviator Badge|aviator wings]] on his uniform.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=35–39}}

[[File:VF-142 group photo.jpg|thumb|left|VF-142 group photo from the {{USS|Ranger|CV-61|6}} 1959 Western Pacific cruise. Evans is in the back row, fourth from the left.]]
Evans became a [[fighter pilot]] with Fighter Squadron 142 ([[VF-142]]), which was based at [[Naval Air Station Miramar]] in [[California]], although it was still aboard the aircraft carrier {{USS|Hornet|CV-12|6}} when he arrived on July 14, 1957, and did not reach Miramar until July 25. The squadron was due to receive the new [[Vought F8U Crusader]] fighter, but these had not yet arrived, and in the meantime they flew the old [[North American FJ-3 Fury]].{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=42–43}} He was promoted to the rank of [[lieutenant (junior grade)]], and married Pollom at the [[Westminster Presbyterian Church of Topeka]] on December 22, 1957. They had two children: a daughter, Jaime Dayle, and a son, Jon.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=47, 49, 56, 70}}

In January 1959, VF-142 boarded the brand new aircraft carrier {{USS|Ranger|CV-61|6}}, and set off on a cruise of the Western Pacific, which lasted until July 27, 1959.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.navysite.de/cruisebooks/cv61-59/index.html |title=USS Ranger (CVA 61) WestPac Cruise Book 1959 |website=www.navysite.de }}</ref> Afterwards, most of VF-142 was posted elsewhere, and Evans was one of the five pilots that remained. They took delivery of new model F8U Crusaders, and were joined by new pilots who had to be trained to fly them. The squadron was then assigned to the aircraft carrier {{USS|Oriskany|CV-34|6}}, which departed for a tour of the Western Pacific on May 14, and returned to [[San Diego]] on December 15. During the voyage, Evans completed correspondence coursework for promotion to [[Lieutenant (navy)|lieutenant]], and was promoted to that rank in June.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=61, 63, 65}} With the completion of back to back deployments, he became a [[flight instructor]] for the F8U Crusader with Fighter Squadron 124 ([[VF-124]]), but until it moved to Miramar in June, he had to fly the [[Grumman F9F Cougar]], although he was able to fly the F8U Crusader once a week or so to stay familiar with it.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=67–69}}

[[File:F-8E Crusader of VF-51 is launched from USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) in July 1965.jpg|thumb|right|An F8U Crusader is launched from the {{USS|Ticonderoga|CV-14|6}} in July 1965.]]
In 1962, Evans entered the U.S. [[Naval Postgraduate School]] in [[Monterey, California]]. Fellow students there at the time included [[Robert H. Shumaker]], [[Gene Cernan]], [[Richard F. Gordon Jr.]], [[Paul J. Weitz]] and [[Jack Lousma]].{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=67–69}}{{sfn|Cernan|Davis|2000|p=55}} On June 5, 1963, the [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (NASA) announced that it would be recruiting [[NASA Astronaut Group 3|a new group]] of [[astronaut]]s. Military applications were due by July 15.{{sfn|Morse|Bays|1973|p=61}} They were pre-screened by the services,{{sfn|Burgess|2013|p=199}} and those that the Navy regarded as qualified were contacted and invited to apply.{{sfn|Cernan|Davis|2000|pp=52–53}} Evans was on leave in Topeka, and received this notification in the form of a [[telegram]]. He submitted the required paperwork on July 6.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=78–81}} Cernan, Evans, Gordon and Shumaker were among the 34 finalists that NASA invited to undergo a week of medical and physiological tests at [[Brooks Air Force Base]] in [[San Antonio, Texas]].{{sfn|Burgess|2013|p=204}} Six were eliminated at this point; the remaining 28, including Evans, were invited to come to [[Houston, Texas]] for interviews and testing.<ref name="roundup">{{cite magazine|magazine=NASA Roundup|volume=3|issue=1|pages=1, 4, 5, 7|url=https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/roundups/issues/63-10-30.pdf|title=14 New Astronauts Introduced at Press Conference|publisher=NASA|date=October 30, 1963|access-date=November 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417065923/https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/roundups/issues/63-10-30.pdf|archive-date=April 17, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{sfn|Burgess|2013|pp=208–210}} On October 14, Cernan and Evans were both called out of class to take long distance calls from NASA. For Cernan, it was a call from [[Deke Slayton]], NASA's Director of Space Flight Operations, informing that he had been chosen; for Evans, it was one from [[Al Shepard]], informing him that he had not.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|p=82, as told by Evans to Andy Chaikin in 1986}} Evans returned to his studies. The Navy frowned on officers loafing while still drawing pay during the summer break, so the students had to take summer classes. Evans chose to take a course in Russian at the [[Defense Language Institute]] at the [[Presidio of Monterey]].{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=78–81}} He graduated with a [[Master of Science]] degree in [[aeronautical engineering]] in 1964.<ref name="nasabio" />

After two years ashore, Evans rejoined VF-124 to re-qualify for aircraft carrier duty.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|p=86}} He was then assigned to Fighter Squadron 51 ([[VF-51]]), once again flying the F8U Crusader. The ship was already engaged in a combat tour of the Western Pacific on board the aircraft carrier {{USS|Ticonderoga|CV-14|6}}, an older sister ship of the ''Oriskany'', so Evans was flown to [[Naval Air Station Cubi Point]] in the Philippines, where he collected an F8U Crusader that had been set aside for him, and flew out to the ship.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=91–92}} The ''Ticonderoga'' returned to San Diego in December 1964. Evans was appointed the squadron maintenance officer, a position usually held by a [[lieutenant commander (United States)|lieutenant commander]], and soon after received a spot promotion to that rank.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=98–105}}

The ''Ticonderoga'' departed for its next Western Pacific cruise in September 1965, but this was not a normal peacetime cruise; the ''Ticonderoga'' was assigned to [[Dixie Station]] off the coast of [[South Vietnam]], from whence aircraft carriers launched strikes in support of American and South Vietnamese troops engaged in combat operations in the [[Vietnam War]]. During a training exercise, Evans collided with his wingman, Lieutenant Roy E. Miller. Evans had to land at [[Tan Son Nhut Air Base]] because his aircraft was too badly damaged to be recovered by an aircraft carrier, and it had to be shipped back to the United States for repairs. It was seen by his wife, who recorded a duet of ''[[Side by Side (1927 song)|Side by Side]]'' with Miller's wife, adding to the ribbing Evans received from his shipmates. Within days he was flying combat missions over South Vietnam. Ordnance was in short supply, so in order to inflate the number of [[sortie]]s flown, aircraft seldom carried full bomb loads. Evans's aircraft was holed by ground fire.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=98–105}}

[[File:Apollo-17-with-USS-Ticonderoga.jpg|thumb|left|The {{USS|Ticonderoga|CVA-14|6}} recovers the [[Apollo 17]] spacecraft in 1972.]]
On September 10, 1965, NASA announced that it was recruiting [[NASA Astronaut Group 5|another group of pilot astronauts]].<ref name="Roundup 1965-09-17">{{cite magazine |magazine=NASA Roundup |title=NASA Recruiting Additional Pilot-Astronauts |date=September 10, 1965 |volume=24 |issue=4 |page=1 |url=https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/roundups/issues/65-09-17.pdf |access-date=June 16, 2019 }}</ref> Once again, the [[Bureau of Naval Personnel]] (BUPERS) contacted Evans and asked if he wanted to volunteer, which he did. On November 12, a package of forms was received by his wife Jan in San Diego, with a cover letter that explained that BUPERS had recommended Evans to NASA. She contacted Slayton, and explained that Evans was on a deployment in the Western Pacific, and was unlikely to be able to return the forms before the December 1 deadline. Slayton reassured her that this would be taken into consideration. Evans managed to mail the forms on December 7. A few weeks later a letter arrived informing Evans that once again he had made the short list, and was invited to come to Brooks Air Force Base for another round of tests.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=109–111}}

''Ticonderoga'' was back on Dixie station by January 28, and Evans was flying attack missions against [[Viet Cong]] insurgents. On that day, his aircraft suffered an electrical failure and he was left with a bomb under his right wing that he was unable to jettison. This made it too dangerous to attempt a landing on the ''Ticonderoga'', so he was ordered to proceed to [[Cam Ranh Air Force Base]], Evans skidded on the wet [[Marston Mat]] runway and went {{convert|20|ft|m|order=flip}} off its end. The bomb did not explode. Evans was taken to the office of the base commander, where a [[United States Air Force]] sergeant handed him orders to proceed to Texas for astronaut selection. Once again, Evans endured the battery of medical and psychological tests, and was chosen as one of the 35 finalists to be interviewed at the [[Rice Hotel]]. His [[temporary duty assignment]] only covered the tests, but BUPERS extended it to March 5, and then turned down his squadron commander's request for a replacement officer. As it happened, Evans did not miss much action, as the ''Ticonderoga'' departed [[Subic Bay]] in the Philippines for [[Sasebo]], Japan, on February 17, but it was back on Dixie Station by March 6. Eleven days later, Evans participated in an attack on Viet Cong units that earned him a [[Navy Commendation Medal]]. On March 26, he received word that he had been selected for astronaut training.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=113–121}} He was one of the nineteen astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28240973/the_high_point_enterprise/|title=19 New Spacemen Are Named|last1=Thompson|first1=Ronald|newspaper=The High Point Enterprise|location=High Point, North Carolina|date=April 5, 1966|page=2A|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

Evans completed a seven-month tour of duty flying [[Aerial warfare|combat missions]]. In his Navy service, Evans had logged 2,084 hours of flight time, including 4,600 hours in [[jet aircraft]].<ref name="Roundup 1966-04-15">{{cite magazine |magazine=NASA Roundup |date=April 15, 1966 |volume=5 |issue=13 |pages=4–5 |title=Newly-Selected Group of 19 Astronauts |url=https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/roundups/issues/66-04-15.pdf |access-date=June 16, 2019 }}</ref> He had flown 112 combat missions. In a ceremony on the ''Ticonderoga''{{'}}s [[flight deck]] on April 1, he was awarded gold [[5/16 inch star]]s in lieu of his second, third, fourth and fifth [[Air Medal]]s. He flew his last mission, a [[combat air patrol]], on April 21.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=124–125}}

==NASA==
{{Main|Apollo 17}}

===Support crew===
The ''Ticonderoga'' left Dixie station on April 21, 1966, and returned to San Diego on May 16. Evans preceded it, after taking a mail plane to the Philippines, and then a [[Military Air Transport Service]] flight to San Diego, which he reached on April 28. He then took a flight to Houston on May 1. The family remained in San Diego until his daughter Jaime finished her school year in late May. In the meantime Evans and Jan bought a four-bedroom house in [[El Lago, Texas]]. It was newly built, with no furniture, and the electricity and telephone still to be connected. The family set out for Houston on June 6, taking four days to make the journey in their [[Rambler (automobile)|Rambler]] [[station wagon]]. As their furniture had not yet arrived, they initially stayed in quarters at [[Ellington Air Force Base]]. The family was finally able to move in on July 6. Evans's Navy Commendation Medal citation was forwarded to NASA, and the medal was presented to him, along with a silver 5/16 inch star in lieu of his sixth Air Medal and gold 5/16 inch stars in lieu of his seventh and eighth, by [[Robert Gilruth]], the director of NASA's [[Manned Spacecraft Center]].{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=127–134}}

[[File:Ron Evans and his wife Jan in 1972.jpg|thumb|right|With his wife Jan in 1972]]
In earlier astronaut groups, the senior astronaut had assumed the role of [[command module pilot]] (CMP) while the more junior was the lunar module pilot (LMP), but the Nineteen were divided into [[Command/Service Module]] (CSM) and [[Lunar Module]] (LM) specialists. Slayton asked each of the Nineteen which speciality he preferred, but made the final decision himself. This early division of assignments would have a profound effect on their subsequent careers. Evans became a CSM specialist.{{sfn|Shayler|Burgess|2017|pp=157–158}} He was chosen as a member of the support crew for [[Apollo 1]], the first crewed [[Project Apollo]] mission, along with [[Ed Givens]] and [[Jack Swigert]], two fellow members of his astronaut group. The astronauts assigned to this duty regarded it as the lowest rung on the ladder.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|p=147}} Usually low in seniority, they assembled the mission's rules, [[flight plan]], and checklists, and kept them updated, and worked in the simulators developing procedures, especially those for emergency situations. They also stood by during spacecraft tests on the launch pad, and set up the cockpit, ensuring that all the switches were in the right positions.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hersch|first=Matthew|date=July 19, 2009|title=The fourth crewmember|journal=[[Air & Space/Smithsonian]]|access-date=October 4, 2019|url=https://www.airspacemag.com/space/the-fourth-crewmember-37046329/}}</ref>{{sfn|Brooks|Grimwood|Swenson|1979|p=261}} In this role, Evans worked inside the Apollo spacecraft for a couple of hours on January 26, 1967. The support crew then flew back to Houston. On landing at Ellington Air Force Base they were informed that the prime crew had died in a fire inside the spacecraft.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=150–152}}

When planning for Apollo missions resumed, Evans, Givens and Swigert were assigned to the support crew of [[Apollo 7]], which would now be the first crewed flight.{{sfn|Brooks|Grimwood|Swenson|1979|p=261}} Givens was killed in a motor vehicle accident on June 6, 1967,{{sfn|Shayler|Burgess|2017|pp=170–172}} and was replaced on the support crew by [[Bill Pogue]].{{sfn|Brooks|Grimwood|Swenson|1979|p=261}}{{sfn|Bowman|2021|p=155}} Evans was subsequently a member of the support crew for [[Apollo 11]], the first Moon landing,{{sfn|Brooks|Grimwood|Swenson|1979|p=375}} and he was a [[capsule communicator]] (CAPCOM) for Apollo 7, Apollo 11 and [[Apollo 14]].{{sfn|Brooks|Grimwood|Swenson|1979|p=375}}

===Backup crew===
Under the rotation scheme developed by Slayton, the role of backup commander (CDR) for Apollo 13 would have been [[John Young (astronaut)|John Young]], the CMP of [[Apollo 10]], and that of Apollo 14 would have been the CMP of Apollo 11, [[Michael Collins (astronaut)|Michael Collins]]. They would then become the prime crew CDRs of [[Apollo 16]] and [[Apollo 17]] respectively. However, Cernan baulked at reprising his role as LMP with Young, holding out for his own mission. This became available when Collins declined the opportunity to lead a mission to the Moon. Cernan was therefore selected as backup CDR of Apollo 14 in his stead.{{sfn|Cernan|Davis|2000|pp=228–230}}{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=191–193}} This was fortunate for Evans as well; Slayton consulted with Cernan about the selection of the rest of his Apollo 14 backup crew, and they chose Evans as CMP and [[Joe Engle]] as LMP.{{sfn|Cernan|Davis|2000|pp=238–240}} The prime crew for Apollo 14 would be [[Alan Shepard]], the [[Chief of the Astronaut Office]] as CDR, [[Edgar Mitchell]] as LMP and [[Stu Roosa]] as CMP. Evans's selection as a member of the Apollo 14 backup crew was formally announced by NASA on August 6, 1969.<ref>{{cite press release |id=69-56 |date=August 6, 1969 |title=News Release Announcing Crews for Apollo 13 and 14 |publisher=NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/83121main_1969.pdf |access-date=January 23, 2022 |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202120858/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/83121main_1969.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was still a serving naval officer, and on October 1, 1969, was promoted to [[Commander (United States)|commander]].{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=191–193}}

[[File:Apollo 17 Prime Crew - GPN-2000-001151.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left|The prime crew of Apollo 17: [[Gene Cernan]] (seated), Evans (standing on right), and [[Harrison H. Schmitt]]]]
That the backup crew of Apollo 14 would in due course become the prime crew of Apollo 17 as per the rotation scheme was far from certain. The absence of science astronauts on the prime or backup crews of Apollo 13 and Apollo 14 caused adverse reaction in the media, and there was pressure from the scientific community to send a scientist to the Moon.{{sfn|Brooks|Grimwood|Swenson|1979|pp=220–221}} When Slayton announced the crew for [[Apollo 15]] on March 26, 1970, [[geologist]] astronaut [[Harrison Schmitt]] was named as backup LMP, with [[Vance Brand]] as backup CMP and Richard Gordon as backup CDR. Under the rotation scheme, they could expect to become the prime crew for [[Canceled Apollo missions|Apollo 18]].{{sfn|Brooks|Grimwood|Swenson|1979|p=219}}

When Apollo 18 was cancelled in September 1970, the scientific community pressed NASA to assign Schmitt, a geologist, to Apollo 17 rather than a pilot with non-professional geological training. This left Slayton with the question of who would fill the two other Apollo 17 slots: the rest of the Apollo 15 backup crew or the Apollo 14 backup crew (except for Engle). Gordon's crew's experience as backup to Apollo 15 was more relevant for the proposed Apollo 17 mission, as Apollo 15 was a similar J-class mission using the Extended Lunar Module, capable of three-day stays on the Moon, and carrying the [[Lunar Roving Vehicle]]. Nor was support for assigning Cernan to Apollo 17 unanimous within NASA; [[Thomas P. Stafford|Tom Stafford]], the acting chief of the Astronaut office with Shepard assigned to Apollo 14, strongly supported Cernan, with whom he had flown on [[Gemini 9A]] and Apollo 10, as did Shepard; but Gordon was supported by [[James McDivitt]], the manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office, and [[Pete Conrad]], who was Gordon's CDR on Apollo 12. Cernan crashed a [[Bell 47|Bell 47G helicopter]] into the [[Indian River (Florida)|Indian River]] near [[Cape Canaveral]] during a training exercise in January 1971; the accident was attributed to pilot error, as Cernan had misjudged his altitude before crashing into the water. Slayton dismissed concerns about Cernan's judgment. After being offered command of the mission, Cernan objected to Engle's omission from the crew, but acquiesced when it became clear that Schmitt would fly on Apollo 17 with or without Cernan. The fate of the CMP was tied to that of his CDR.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=215–221}}{{sfn|Kraft|2002|pp=346–348}}<ref>{{cite news |title=News – Released at NASA Headquarters |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/83123main_1971.pdf |access-date=January 13, 2022 |publisher=Manned Spacecraft Center: Public Information Offie |date=October 18, 1971 |archive-date=February 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228041703/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/83123main_1971.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The prime crew of Apollo 17 was publicly announced on August 13, 1971.<ref name="crewannounce">{{cite press release |title=Apollo 17 Crew Announcement |id=71-56 |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/83123main_1971.pdf |access-date=January 13, 2022 |publisher=NASA |date=August 13, 1971 |archive-date=February 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228041703/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/83123main_1971.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The original backup crew for Apollo 17, announced at the same time, was the crew of Apollo 15: [[David Scott]] as CDR, [[Alfred Worden]] as CMP and [[James Irwin]] as LMP;<ref name="crewannounce" /> but they were removed because of their roles in the [[Apollo 15 postal covers incident]].{{sfn|Phinney|2015|p=130}} On May 23, 1972, they were replaced with Young and Duke from the crew of Apollo 16, as backup CDR and LMP respectively, and Roosa from Apollo 14 as backup CMP. Thus, Evans served as Roosa's backup on Apollo 14, and Roosa as Evans's backup on Apollo 17.{{sfn|Orloff|Harland|2006|pp=507–508}}<ref>{{cite news|title=2 Astronauts Quitting Jobs And Military|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=plwxAAAAIBAJ&pg=7112,4977778&dq=roosa+apollo+17|access-date=August 26, 2011|agency=Associated Press |newspaper=[[Toledo Blade]]|date=May 24, 1972}}</ref>{{sfn|Slayton|Cassutt|1994|p=279}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Riley |first1=John E. |title=Release No. 72-113: Astronauts Mitchell and Irwin to Retire |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/83124main_1972.pdf |access-date=January 13, 2022 |publisher=NASA: Manned Spacecraft Center |date=May 23, 1972 |archive-date=February 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225161721/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/83124main_1972.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The two men studied geology with [[Farouk El-Baz]], often on their own time. They became close friends. They would talk about the Moon and the mission at length, and often end with a few beers.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=202–203}} Their training was directed at developing the ability to make observations and take photographs of features from orbit. They would fly over geological features in NASA [[Northrop T-38 Talon]] jets and tape record their observations and take photographs. These would then be critiqued by geologists.{{sfn|Phinney|2015|p=134}} Farouk sometimes flew with Evans or Roosa in the T-38s or small [[United States Geological Survey]] aircraft.{{sfn|Phinney|2015|p=145}}

===Prime crew===
[[File:A17 Evans with a packet of soup.jpg|thumb|right|Evans on Apollo 17]]
While suited up for the Apollo 17 mission, but before his helmet was attached, Evans smoked a last cigarette. His crewmates had urged him to quit, and Schmitt suggested that he could take advantage of the two-week mission to go [[cold turkey]].{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=219–220}} An estimated 700,000 people watched the night launch from the [[Kennedy Space Center]], the largest crowd of spectators since Apollo 11.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|p=237}} The flight plan kept Evans busy, making him so tired he overslept one morning by an hour, despite the efforts of Mission Control to awaken him. Before the LM departed for the lunar surface, he had discovered that he had misplaced his pair of scissors, necessary to open food packets. Cernan and Schmitt lent him one of theirs.{{sfn|Chaikin|1995|p=532}} While Cernan and Schmitt landed on the Moon and explored the [[Taurus–Littrow valley]], Evans remained in lunar orbit on board the Command Module ''America'', completing assigned work tasks which required visual geological observations, hand-held photography of specific targets, and the control of cameras and other highly sophisticated scientific equipment carried in the service module's [[Apollo Command/Service Module#Service module (SM)|SIM bay]].<ref name="nasabio" /> Cernan and Schmitt referred to Evans as "Captain America", after the [[Captain America|comic book character]].{{sfn|Bowman|2021|p=136}}

The orbit of the CSM having been modified to an elliptical orbit in preparation for the LM's departure and eventual descent, one of Evans's first solo tasks in the CSM was to circularize its orbit such that the CSM would remain at approximately the same distance above the surface throughout its orbit. Thereafter, he observed ten visual targets that had been assigned prior to launch, all of which were successfully identified during the course of the mission. He focused on surface features as well as the [[solar corona]] at "sunrise," or the period of time during which the CSM would pass from the darkened portion of the Moon to the illuminated portion when the Moon itself mostly obscured the sun. To photograph portions of the surface that were not illuminated by the sun while Evans passed over them, Evans relied in conjunction on [[Exposure (photography)|exposure]] and [[Earthlight]]. Evans photographed such features as the craters [[Eratosthenes (crater)|Eratosthenes]] and Copernicus, as well as the vicinity of [[Mare Orientale]], using this technique.{{sfn|Mission Report|pp=10-34–10-38}} According to the Apollo 17 Mission Report, Evans was able to capture all scientific photographic targets, as well as some other targets of interest.{{sfn|Mission Report|p=10-37}}

[[File:AS17-152-23392.jpg|thumb|left|Evans during his [[trans-Earth EVA]] on Apollo 17]]
The instruments in the SIM bay functioned without significant hindrance during the orbital portion of the mission, though the two antennas of the lunar sounder as well as the mapping camera encountered minor issues. The indicator on the instrument panel for the extension of one of the sounder's antennas was not functional and the second antenna suffered an apparent stall during its extension. Despite these technical difficulties, both antennas were deployed fully and the sounder achieved its planned observational purpose. Similarly, the extension and retraction of the mapping camera took longer than planned (about four minutes, longer than the nominal two) and, though deployment and retraction was not otherwise hindered, the use of this piece of equipment was reduced to avoid exhausting it by overuse.{{sfn|Mission Report|p=10-38}}

Evans was also responsible for piloting the CSM during the orbital phase of the mission, maneuvering the spacecraft to alter and maintain its orbital trajectory. In addition to the initial orbital recircularization maneuver shortly after the LM's departure, one of the final significant solo activities Evans performed in the CSM in preparation for the return of his crewmates from the lunar surface was the [[Orbital plane (astronomy)|plane change]] maneuver. This maneuver was meant to align the CSM's trajectory to the eventual trajectory of the LM to facilitate rendezvous in orbit. Evans fired the SPS engine of the CSM for about 20 seconds in successfully adjusting the CSM's orbital plane.{{sfn|Mission Report|p=10-38}} He holds the record of most time spent in [[lunar orbit]]: 147 hours, 43 minutes and 37.11 seconds.{{sfn|Orloff|2004|p=250}}<ref name="space.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.space.com/20788-ron-evans-astronaut-biography.html|title=Ron Evans: Apollo 17 Command Module Pilot|last1=Howell|first1=Elizabeth|publisher=Space.com|date=April 23, 2013|access-date=November 28, 2017}}</ref>

{{Quote box|align=left|quote=Hot diggety dog!|source=Evans, upon taking his first steps in space.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cjonline.com/stories/062208/loc_293659568.shtml#.V6J4aIOLS70 |title=Ron Evans quotation |access-date=August 4, 2016 |archive-date=August 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822060224/http://cjonline.com/stories/062208/loc_293659568.shtml#.V6J4aIOLS70 |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}
On the way back to Earth, Evans completed a one-hour, five-minute, 44-second [[extravehicular activity]], during which he made three trips to the scientific instrument module (SIM) bay to retrieve lunar sounder film, the panoramic camera, and three camera mapping cassettes, and completed a personal inspection of the equipment bay area.{{sfn|Orloff|2004|p=250}} For this Evans donned Cernan's lunar visor assembly with its red stripe, and the top part of his lunar backpack. He set up the movie camera and TV camera to record the EVA, allowing it to be televised live.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=287–289}} After a flight of 301 hours, 51 minutes and 59 seconds, ''America'' splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, where it was retrieved by the ''Ticonderoga''.{{sfn|Orloff|2004|p=251}} To the dismay of his Apollo 17 crewmates, the first thing that Evans did when he got on board was ask one of the crew for a cigarette.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|p=301}}

Astronauts normally received a spot promotion on the successful completion of a mission; Evans's promotion to [[Captain (United States O-6)|captain]] was made official in January 1973. He received his Navy [[United States Astronaut Badge|astronaut wings]] from [[John Warner]], the [[United States Secretary of the Navy]]. The Apollo 17 crew were fêted at parties and receptions. They were driven around the [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]] at [[Super Bowl VII]], they met Elvis Presley in Las Vegas and were hosted by President [[Richard Nixon]] at the [[White House]] and [[Camp David]]. Cernan and Evans refused to meet with [[Muhammad Ali]] because of the boxer's 1967 refusal to serve in the U.S. armed forces, but accepted hospitality from [[Frank Sinatra]].{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=307–313}}

[[File:President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon with Apollo 17 Astronauts.jpg|thumb|right|Evans and his wife Jan (left) visit the [[White House]] with President [[Richard Nixon]], [[Gene Cernan]], [[Harrison Schmitt]] and their partners.]]
Evans was later backup CMP for the 1975 [[Apollo–Soyuz Test Project]] (ASTP) mission.<ref name="space.com" /> The Russian he had learned years before came in handy, but was limited. Asked to give a speech at a cosmonauts' dinner event, he recited [[Humpty Dumpty]] in Russian, which his hosts found hilarious.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=320–321}} Evans retired from the U.S. Navy as captain on April 30, 1976, with 21 years of service, but remained active as a NASA astronaut involved in the development of NASA's [[Space Shuttle program]].<ref name="space.com" /><ref name="nasabio" /> He served as a member of the operations and training group within the Astronaut Office, responsible for launch and ascent phases of the [[Space Shuttle]] program.<ref name="space.com" /> He retired from NASA on March 8, 1977.<ref>{{cite press release |id=77-17 |first=Jack |last=Riley |date=March 8, 1977 |title=Astronaut Evans to Leave NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/83129main_1977.pdf |access-date=January 26, 2021 |archive-date=May 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502233313/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/83129main_1977.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Later years==
Jan's parents had retired to live in [[Sun City, Arizona]], and Jan was eager to move to nearby [[Scottsdale, Arizona]], so Evans looked for a job there. A chance encounter led to an offer to become the director of marketing at the Scottsdale-based Western America Energy Corporation. Evans soon became disillusioned with the company and the industry and quit. He then found a position with [[Sperry Flight Systems]], which made electronic components and cockpit instrumentation for the Space Shuttle, as its Director of Space Systems Marketing. But the president of the company who had brought him in died, and Evans had a falling out with his successor. He left to form his own consulting company, and formed a lucrative partnership with a Japanese entrepreneur who was building a theme park devoted to space exploration.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|pp=329–335}}

Evans died in his sleep of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] at his home in Scottsdale on April 7, 1990,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Archives |first=L. A. Times |date= April 9, 1990 |title=Ronald E. Evans; Apollo 17 Command; Module Pilot on Last Trip to the Moon |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-09-mn-672-story.html |access-date=September 22, 2025 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 9, 1990 |title=Apollo Astronaut Ronald E. Evans |url=https://www.pilotonline.com/1990/04/09/apollo-astronaut-ronald-e-evans/ |access-date=September 22, 2025 |newspaper=The Virginian-Pilot |language=en-US}}</ref> at the age of 56.<ref>Date of death according to death certificate issued by the State of Arizona on April 27, 1990, Certificate Number 169985, signed by G. E. Bolduc.</ref><ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times |title=Ronald E. Evans, 56, Astronaut Who Piloted Apollo 17 Mission |first=Stephanie |last=Strom |date=April 9, 1990 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/09/obituaries/ronald-e-evans-56-astronaut-who-piloted-apollo-17-mission.html |access-date=January 26, 2022}}</ref> He was buried at the Valley Presbyterian Church Memorial Garden in [[Paradise Valley, Arizona]], where Jan would leave a red rose on the anniversaries of his birth, marriage, spaceflight and death.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|p=344}}

==Awards and honors==
Evans was awarded the [[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]] in 1973,<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical Recipient List |publisher=NASA |url=https://searchpub.nssc.nasa.gov/servlet/sm.web.Fetch/Agency_Awards_Historical_Recipient_List.pdf?rhid=1000&did=2120817&type=released |access-date=April 24, 2021}}</ref> the [[Johnson Space Center]] Superior Achievement Award in 1970, the [[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]] in 1973, Navy Astronaut Wings, eight Air Medals, the [[Vietnam Service Medal]], and the Navy Commendation Medal with combat distinguishing service.<ref name="nmspace"/> He received a University of Kansas Distinguished Service Citation in 1973, and was named Kansan of the Year in 1972.{{sfn|Bowman|2021|p=111}} He was inducted into the [[New Mexico Museum of Space History|International Space Hall of Fame]] in 1983,<ref name="nmspace">{{cite web|url=https://www.nmspacemuseum.org/inductee/ronald-e-evans/|title=Military service|website=New Mexico Museum of Space History|access-date=August 4, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29964158/el_paso_times/|title=Space Hall Inducts 14 Apollo Program Astronauts|last1=Sheppard|first1=David|newspaper=El Paso Times|location=El Paso, Texas|date=October 2, 1983|page=18|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> and the [[United States Astronaut Hall of Fame|U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame]] on October 4, 1997.<ref name="halloffame">{{cite web|url=https://astronautscholarship.org/Astronauts/ronald-e-evans/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115015032/https://astronautscholarship.org/Astronauts/ronald-e-evans/|archive-date=November 15, 2017|url-status=live|access-date=November 28, 2017|publisher=Astronaut Scholarship Foundation|title=Ronald E. Evans}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28283877/florida_today/|title=Ceremony to Honor Astronauts|newspaper=Florida Today|location=Cocoa, Florida|page=2B|date=October 2, 1997|last1=Meyer|first1=Marilyn|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[The Blue Marble]]
* [[List of spaceflight records]]
* [[Sigma Nu|Nu Chapter Commander]] (KU-1956)

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/A17_MissionReport.pdf|title=Apollo 17 Mission Report|publisher=Scientific and Technical Information Branch, NASA|location=Houston, Texas|year=1973|ref={{sfnRef|Mission Report}}|access-date=January 25, 2022|archive-date=February 27, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227031200/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/A17_MissionReport.pdf|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Courtney G. |last2=Grimwood |first2=James M. |last3=Swenson |first3=Loyd S. Jr. |title=Chariots for Apollo: A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4205.pdf |series=NASA History Series |date=1979 |publisher=Scientific and Technical Information Branch, NASA |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=978-0-486-46756-6 |oclc=4664449 |lccn=79001042 |id=NASA SP-4205 }}
* {{cite book |last=Bowman |first=Geoffrey |title=A Long Voyage to the Moon: The Life of Naval Aviator and Apollo 17 Astronaut Ron Evans |location=Lincoln, Nebraska |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-4962-1319-8 |oclc=1226073090 }}
* {{cite book |last=Burgess |first=Colin |author-link=Colin Burgess (author) |title=Moon Bound: Choosing and Preparing NASA's Lunar Astronauts |location=New York; London |publisher=Springer |year=2013 |series=Springer-Praxis books in space exploration |isbn=978-1-4614-3854-0|oclc=905162781 }}
*{{cite book |last1=Cernan |first1=Eugene|author-link1=Gene Cernan |first2=Don |last2=Davis |title=The Last Man on the Moon: Astronaut Eugene Cernan and America's Race in Space |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-312-26351-5 |lccn=98048206 |oclc= 45049476 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Chaikin |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Chaikin |title=A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts |title-link=A Man on the Moon|year=1995 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=New York, New York |isbn=978-0-14-024146-4 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Kraft |first1=Christopher C. |title=Flight: My Life in Mission Control |date=2002 |publisher=E. P. Dutton |location=New York, New York |isbn=9780452283046 }}
* {{cite web |last1=Morse |first1=Mary Louise |last2=Bays |first2=Jean Kernahan |title=The Apollo Spacecraft - A Chronology, Volume II: November 8, 1962 – September 30, 1964 |series=The NASA Historical Series |year=1973 |publisher=NASA |location=Washington, D.C. |id=SP-4009 |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4009vol2.pdf |access-date=May 8, 2019 }}
* {{cite book |last=Orloff |first=Richard W. |title=Apollo by the Numbers: A Statistical Reference |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4029/SP-4029.htm |series=NASA History Series |orig-year=First published 2000 |date=2004 |publisher=NASA |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=0-16-050631-X |lccn=00061677 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823124845/https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4029/SP-4029.htm |archive-date=August 23, 2007 |id=SP-4029 }}
* {{cite book|last1=Orloff|first1=Richard W.|last2=Harland|first2=David M.|author-link2=David M. Harland|title=Apollo: The Definitive Sourcebook|year=2006|publisher=Praxis Publishing Company|location=Chichester, United Kingdom|isbn=978-0-387-30043-6 }}
* {{cite book|last=Phinney|first=William C.|title=Science Training History of the Apollo Astronauts|publisher=Johnson Space Center, NASA|year=2015|location=Houston, Texas|url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20190026783.pdf|id=SP-2015-626}}
* {{cite book |last1=Shayler |first1=David J. |last2=Burgess |first2=Colin |author-link2=Colin Burgess (author) |title=The Last of NASA's Original Pilot Astronauts |year=2017 |publisher=Springer-Praxis |location=Chichester |isbn=978-3-319-51012-5 |oclc=1023142024 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Slayton |first1=Donald K. "Deke" |author-link1=Deke Slayton |last2=Cassutt |first2=Michael |author-link2=Michael Cassutt |year=1994 |title=Deke! U.S. Manned Space: From Mercury to the Shuttle |edition=1st |location=New York, New York |publisher=[[Tor Books|Forge]] |isbn=0-312-85503-6 |lccn=94002463 |oclc=29845663 |url=https://archive.org/details/dekeusmannedspac00slay }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ronald E. Evans}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20021024052842/http://www.astronautix.com/astros/evans.htm Astronautix biography of Ronald Evans]
* [http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/E/Evans.html Evans at Encyclopedia of Science]
* [http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/ronald-e-evans/16434 Ronald Evans] at the [[Kansas Historical Society]]

{{People who have traveled to the Moon|state=expanded}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Ronald}}
[[Category:Ronald Evans (astronaut)| ]]
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:1990 deaths]]
[[Category:Apollo 17]]
[[Category:Apollo program astronauts]]
[[Category:United States Navy astronauts]]
[[Category:United States Astronaut Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:People from St. Francis, Kansas]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Kansas]]
[[Category:University of Kansas alumni]]
[[Category:Naval Postgraduate School alumni]]
[[Category:United States Navy captains]]
[[Category:United States Naval Aviators]]
[[Category:Aviators from Kansas]]
[[Category:American electrical engineers]]
[[Category:American aerospace engineers]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War]]
[[Category:People from Scottsdale, Arizona]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Air Medal]]
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[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century American engineers]]
[[Category:Spacewalkers]]

Gene Cernan

2025-10-22T19:44:30Z

2A00:23C8:BB93:4701:F427:DFFF:FEAE:9C71:

{{short description|American astronaut and lunar explorer (1934–2017)}}
{{Redirect|Cernan|the Chicago-area public planetarium named in his honor|Cernan Earth and Space Center|the minor planet named for him|12790 Cernan|the location in France|Cernans}}
{{good article}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox astronaut
| name = Gene Cernan
| image = Cernan s71-51308.jpg
| caption = Cernan in 1971
| birth_name = Eugene Andrew Cernan
| birth_date = {{birth date|1934|3|14}}
| birth_place = [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2017|1|16|1934|3|14}}
| death_place = [[Houston]], [[Texas]], U.S.
| restingplace = [[Texas State Cemetery]]
| education = {{ubl|[[Purdue University]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])|[[Naval Postgraduate School]] ([[Master of Science|MS]])}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Barbara Jean Artchley|1961|1981|end=divorced}}<br>{{marriage|Janis Ellen Jones|1987}}
| children = 1
| awards = {{ubl|[[United States Astronaut Badge|Astronaut Badge]] (2)|[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]|[[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]}}
| type = [[NASA astronaut]]
| rank = [[Captain (United States O-6)|Captain]], [[United States Navy|USN]]
| time = 23d 14h 15m
| selection = [[NASA Astronaut Group 3|NASA Group 3 (1963)]]
| eva1 = 4
| eva2 = 24h 11m
| mission = {{ubl|[[Gemini 9A]]|[[Apollo 10]]|[[Apollo 17]]}}
| insignia = [[File:Ge09Patch orig.png|48px]] [[File:Apollo-10-LOGO.png|40px]] [[File:Apollo 17-insignia.png|48px]]
| retirement = July 1, 1976
| website = {{url|genecernan.com|Official website}}
| signature = Eugene Cernan signature.svg
}}
'''Eugene Andrew Cernan''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|ɜːr|n|ə|n}}; March 14, 1934 – January 16, 2017) was an American [[astronaut]], [[United States naval aviator|naval aviator]], [[electrical engineer]], [[aeronautical engineer]], and [[fighter pilot]].

Cernan traveled into space three times and to the [[Moon]] twice: as pilot of [[Gemini 9A]] in June 1966, as lunar module pilot of [[Apollo 10]] in May 1969, and as commander of [[Apollo 17]] in December 1972, the final Apollo [[Moon landing|lunar landing]]. He was also a backup crew member of [[Gemini 12]], [[Apollo 7]], and [[Apollo 14]]. During the Apollo 17 mission, he became the 11th person to walk on the Moon as well as the astronaut with the longest time spent walking on the Moon; he is also the last person to walk on the Moon.

Before becoming an astronaut, Cernan graduated with a [[bachelor of science]] degree in [[electrical engineering]] from [[Purdue University]] in Indiana, and joined the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] through the [[Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps]] (NROTC). After flight training, he received his naval aviator wings and served as a [[fighter pilot]]. In 1963, he received a [[master of science]] degree in [[Aerospace engineering|aeronautical engineering]] from the U.S. [[Naval Postgraduate School]]. Achieving the rank of [[Captain (United States O-6)|captain]], he retired from the Navy in 1976.

==Biography==

===Early years===
Cernan was born on March 14, 1934, in [[Chicago, Illinois]];<ref name="miaminews-19660603">{{Cite news |date=June 3, 1966 |title=Astronauts are Like Two Peas from a Pod |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news/28981781/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528193315/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news/28981781/ |archive-date=May 28, 2024 |location=Miami, Florida |page=10 |via=Newspapers.com |newspaper=[[The Miami News]] }}</ref> he was the son of Andrew George Cernan (1904–1967) and Rose Cernan ([[married and maiden names|''née'']] Cihlar; 1898–1991). His father was of [[Slovaks|Slovak]] descent<ref>{{cite news |title=Cernan's Slovak Relatives Celebrate Apollo Splashdown |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-progress-index-gene-cernan-1834-201/163233705/ |work=The Progress-Index |date=May 27, 1969 |location=Petersburg, VA |page=10 |access-date=January 17, 2025 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> and his mother was of [[Czech people|Czech]] ancestry. He had one older sister, Dolores Ann (1929–2019).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zCL6BoE2HU4C&q=Rose%20Cihlar%20Andrew%20Cernan&pg=PA337 |title=Escaping the Bonds of Earth: The Fifties and the Sixties |first=Ben |last=Evans |date=April 2, 2010 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=9780387790947 |via=Google Books |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118052632/https://books.google.com/books?id=zCL6BoE2HU4C&pg=PA337&dq=Rose%20Cihlar%20Andrew%20Cernan&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiJsO26_MfRAhVJ4oMKHX26BXsQ6AEIFDAA |archive-date=January 18, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=United States Census, 1940 |url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KW46-SSG |publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |access-date=January 24, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118051721/https://familysearch.org/ark%3A/61903/1%3A1%3AKW46-SSG |archive-date=January 18, 2017 }}</ref> Cernan grew up in the Illinois towns of [[Bellwood, Illinois|Bellwood]] and [[Maywood, Illinois|Maywood]]. He was a [[Scouts BSA (Boy Scouts of America)|Boy Scout]] and earned the rank of [[Second Class (Boy Scouts of America)|Second Class]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scouting.org/About/FactSheets/scouting_space.aspx |title=Scouting and Space Exploration |publisher= Boy Scouts of America|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304032406/http://www.scouting.org/about/factsheets/scouting_space.aspx |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref> After attending McKinley Elementary School in Bellwood, and graduating from [[Proviso East High School|Proviso Township High School]] in Maywood in 1952, he studied at [[Purdue University]] and served as treasurer of the [[Phi Gamma Delta]] fraternity. He was also president of the Quarterdeck Society and the [[Scabbard and Blade]], as well as a member of the [[Tau Beta Pi]] engineering honor society, the military ball committee and the Skull and Crescent leadership honor society.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 16, 2023 |title=Eugene Andrew Cernan (14 March 1934–16 January 2017) {{!}} This Day in Aviation |url=https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/14-march-1934-16-january-2016-eugene-andrew-cernan/ |access-date=August 11, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> After his sophomore year, he accepted a partial Navy [[ROTC]] scholarship that required him to serve aboard {{USS|Roanoke|CL-145|6}} between his junior and senior years. In 1956, Cernan received a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[electrical engineering]]; his final [[Grading (education)|GPA]] was 5.1 out of 6.0.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://airportjournals.com/gene-cernan-always-shoot-for-the-moon-part-i/ |title=Gene Cernan: Always Shoot for the Moon, Part I |date=July 1, 2005 |publisher=Airport Journals |access-date=January 24, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527171848/http://airportjournals.com/gene-cernan-always-shoot-for-the-moon-part-i/ |archive-date=May 27, 2016 }}</ref>

=== Navy service ===
Cernan was commissioned a [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] [[Ensign (rank)|Ensign]] through the [[Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps]] (NROTC) at Purdue, and was initially stationed on the {{USS|Saipan|CVL-48|6}}. Cernan changed to active duty and attended flight training at [[Whiting Field]], [[Florida]], [[Barron Field]], [[Texas]], [[Naval Air Station Corpus Christi|NAS Corpus Christi]], Texas, and [[Naval Air Station Memphis|NAS Memphis]], [[Tennessee]].<ref name="autobiography">{{cite book|title=The Last Man On The Moon|last1=Cernan|first1=Eugene|last2=Davis|first2=Don|publisher=St. Martin's Press|date=March 15, 1999|isbn=978-0-312-19906-7|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/lastmanonmoonast00cern_0}}</ref>{{rp|29–31}} Following flight training on the [[T-28 Trojan]], [[T-33 Shooting Star]], and [[F9F Panther]], Cernan became a [[Naval Aviator]], flying [[FJ-4 Fury]] and [[A-4 Skyhawk]] jets in Attack Squadrons [[VF-126|126]] and [[VFA-113|113]].<ref name=autobiography />{{rp|31–33,38–39}} Upon completion of his assignment in [[Marine Corps Air Station Miramar#Naval Air Station|NAS Miramar]], [[California]], he finished his education in 1963 at the U.S. [[Naval Postgraduate School]] with a [[Master of Science]] degree in [[aeronautical engineering]].<ref name=biography/>

During his naval career, Cernan logged more than 5,000 hours of flying time, including 4,800 hours in [[jet aircraft]]. Cernan also made at least 200 successful landings on [[aircraft carrier]]s.<ref name="biography">{{Cite web |date=January 2017 |title=Eugene A. Cernan (Captain, USN, Ret.) NASA Astronaut (Deceased) |url=https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cernan_eugene_a._deceased_pdf_75_kb_.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240513220907/https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cernan_eugene_a._deceased_pdf_75_kb_.pdf |archive-date=May 13, 2024 |access-date=January 10, 2021 |website=Biographical Data |publisher=[[NASA]] }}</ref>

===NASA career===
In October 1963, NASA selected Cernan as one of the [[Astronaut Group 3|third group of astronauts]] to participate in the [[Gemini program|Gemini]] and [[Apollo program|Apollo]] space programs.<ref name=biography/>

====Gemini program====
{{Main|Gemini 9A}}
[[File:Gene Cernan in Gemini IX spacecraft.jpg|thumb|Cernan aboard [[Gemini 9A]]]]

Cernan was originally selected with [[Thomas Patten Stafford|Thomas Stafford]] as backup pilot for Gemini 9. When the prime crew of [[Elliot See]] and [[Charles Bassett]] was killed in the [[1966 NASA T-38 crash|crash]] of NASA [[Northrop T-38 Talon|T-38A]] "901" (USAF serial 63–8181) at [[Lambert Field]], [[Missouri]], on February 28, 1966, the backup crew became the prime crew—the first time in NASA history this happened.<ref name=Titans>{{cite book
|last1=Hacker
|first1=Barton C.
|last2=Grimwood
|first2=James M.
|title=On the Shoulders of Titans: A History of Project Gemini
|chapter=Chapter 14 Charting New Space Lanes
|chapter-url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/ch14-2.htm
|publisher=NASA
|series=NASA History Series
|volume=SP-4203
|date=September 1974
|url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/toc.htm
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113132344/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4203/toc.htm
|archive-date=January 13, 2010
}}</ref> Gemini 9A encountered a number of problems; the original target vehicle exploded during launch and the planned docking with a substitute target vehicle was made impossible by the failure of a protective shroud to separate after launch.<ref name=Titans/> The crew performed a rendezvous that simulated procedures that would be used in the [[Apollo 10]] mission; the first optical rendezvous and a lunar-orbit-abort rendezvous. Cernan performed the second American [[Extravehicular activity|EVA]], the third-ever spacewalk, but overexertion caused by a lack of limb restraints prevented testing of the [[Astronaut propulsion unit#USAF Astronaut Maneuvering Unit|Astronaut Maneuvering Unit]] and forced the early termination of the spacewalk.<ref name=Titans/> Cernan was also a backup pilot for the Gemini 12 mission.<ref name="halloffame">{{cite web|url=http://www.nmspacemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.php?id=61 |title=Commanded Apollo 17, the last human lunar mission |access-date=January 17, 2017 |publisher=New Mexico Museum of Space History |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118213805/http://www.nmspacemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.php?id=61 |archive-date=January 18, 2017 }}</ref>

====Apollo program====
{{Main|Apollo 10|Apollo 17}}

=====Apollo 10=====
[[File:Apollo 10 Cernan and Snoopy at news conference.jpg|thumb|Cernan and [[Snoopy]] during [[Apollo 10]] press conference]]

Cernan was selected as backup lunar module pilot for [[Apollo 7]]—although that flight carried no lunar module.<ref name="crew">{{cite web|url=https://airandspace.si.edu/explore-and-learn/topics/apollo/apollo-program/orbital-missions/apollo7-crew.cfm|title=Apollo 7 Crew - National Air and Space Museum|website=airandspace.si.edu|access-date=April 19, 2018|archive-date=June 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616203309/https://airandspace.si.edu/learn/highlighted-topics-/apollo|url-status=dead}}</ref> Standard crew rotation put him in place as the Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 10—the final dress rehearsal mission for the first Apollo lunar landing—on May 18–26, 1969.

During the [[Apollo 10]] mission, Cernan and his commander, [[Thomas P. Stafford|Tom Stafford]], piloted the Lunar Module ''Snoopy'' in lunar orbit to within {{Convert|8.5|nmi|km}} of the lunar surface, and successfully executed every phase of a lunar landing up to final powered descent. This provided NASA planners with critical knowledge of technical systems and lunar gravitational conditions to enable [[Apollo 11]] to land on the Moon two months later. Apollo 10 holds the record for the highest speed attained by any crewed vehicle at {{convert|39897|kph|mph|abbr=on}}—more than {{cvt|11|km/s}}—during its return from the Moon on May 26, 1969.<ref name="halloffame" />

=====Apollo 17=====
[[File:Apollo 17 Cernan on moon.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Cernan on the Moon during [[Apollo 17]] (1972-12-13).]]
Cernan declined the opportunity to walk on the Moon as Lunar Module Pilot of [[Apollo 16]], preferring to risk missing a flight for the opportunity to command his own mission.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/oralhistory/id/112 |title=Gene Cernan Oral History |series=Houston Oral History Project |date=2009-02-05 |access-date=2015-04-19 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201223728/http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/oralhistory/id/112 |archive-date=2015-02-01 }}</ref> Cernan moved back into the Apollo rotation as commander of the backup crew of Cernan, [[Ronald Evans (astronaut)|Ronald E. Evans]], and [[Joe Engle]] for [[Apollo 14]], putting him in position through normal crew rotation to command his own crew on [[Apollo 17]]. Escalating budget cutbacks for NASA brought the number of future missions into question. After the Apollo 18 and Apollo 19 missions were cancelled in September 1970, pressure from the scientific community mounted to shift [[Harrison Schmitt]], the sole professional geologist in the active Apollo roster of astronauts, to the crew of Apollo 17, the final scheduled Apollo mission. In August 1971, NASA named Schmitt as the lunar module pilot for Apollo 17, which meant the original LM pilot [[Joe Engle]] lost his chance to walk on the Moon. Cernan fought to keep his crew together; given the choice of flying with Schmitt as LMP or seeing his entire crew removed from Apollo 17, Cernan chose to fly with Schmitt. Cernan eventually came to have a positive evaluation of Schmitt's abilities; he concluded that Schmitt was an outstanding LM pilot while Engle—notwithstanding his outstanding record as an aircraft test pilot—was merely an adequate one.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.prepdi.html |publisher=[[NASA]] |website=Apollo 17 Lunar Surface Journal |title=A Running Start - Apollo 17 up to Powered Descent Initiation |date=2014-06-10 |access-date=2016-06-19 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160712014734/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/a17.prepdi.html |archive-date=2016-07-12 }}</ref>

Cernan's role as commander of Apollo 17 closed out the Apollo program's lunar exploration mission with a number of record-setting achievements. During the three days of Apollo 17's surface activity (11–14 December 1972), Cernan and Schmitt performed three EVAs for a total of about 22 hours of exploration of the [[Taurus–Littrow valley]]. Their first EVA alone was more than three times the length astronauts [[Neil Armstrong]] and [[Buzz Aldrin]] spent outside the LM on [[Apollo 11]]. During this time, Cernan and Schmitt covered more than {{convert|35|km|mi nmi|abbr=on}} using the [[Lunar Roving Vehicle]] and spent a great deal of time collecting geologic samples (including a record {{convert|110.4|kg|lb st|abbr=on}} of samples, the most of any Apollo mission) that would shed light on the Moon's early history. Cernan piloted the rover on its final sortie, recording a maximum speed of {{convert|11.2|mph|km/h m/s|abbr=on}}, giving him the unofficial lunar [[land speed record]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Lyons|first1=Pete|title=10 Best Ahead-of-Their-Time Machines|magazine=Car and Driver|date=January 1988|page=78}}</ref>

As Cernan prepared to climb the ladder for the final time, he spoke these words, currently the last spoken by a human being standing on the lunar surface: <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a17/a17.clsout3.html |last=Jones |first=Eric M |title=EVA-3 Close-out |work=Apollo 17 Lunar Surface Journal |publisher=NASA |date=2010-10-28 |access-date=2011-08-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028121823/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a17/a17.clsout3.html |archive-date=2011-10-28 }}</ref>
{{blockquote|[[Robert A. Parker|Bob]], this is Gene, and I'm on the surface; and, as I take man's last step from the surface, back home for some time to come—but we believe not too long into the future—I'd like to just (say) what I believe history will record: that America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow. 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.}}

Cernan's status as the last person to walk on the Moon means [[Purdue University]] is the ''[[alma mater]]'' of both the first person to walk on the Moon ([[Neil Armstrong]]) and the most recent. Cernan is one of only three astronauts to travel to the Moon twice, along with [[Jim Lovell]] and [[John Young (astronaut)|John Young]]. He is also one of only [[List of lunar astronauts|twelve people to have walked on the Moon]], as well as the only person to have flown in two different Apollo Lunar Modules in space while not docked to the [[Apollo Command and Service Module]], both times near the Moon.{{fact|date=February 2025}}

===Post-NASA activities===
[[File:Neil Armstrong public memorial service (201209130003HQ).jpg|thumb|Eugene Cernan at a memorial service for [[Neil Armstrong]] September 13, 2012]]
In 1976, Cernan retired from the Navy with the rank of [[Captain (naval)|captain]] and went from NASA into private business, becoming [[Executive Vice President]] of Coral Petroleum Inc. before starting his own company, The Cernan Corporation, in 1981.<ref name="biography" /> In 1981 and 1982, Cernan joined Frank Reynolds and Jules Bergman on the extensive ABC coverage of the first 3 [[Space Shuttle]] launches. Many hours of these ABC broadcasts have been uploaded to [[YouTube]] in recent years. From 1987 he was a contributor to [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] and the weekly segment of its ''[[Good Morning America]]'' program titled "Breakthrough", which covered health, science, and medicine.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-01-08-ca-3086-story.html |title='Good Morning' Segment For Cernan |date=January 8, 1987 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=June 19, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813071621/http://articles.latimes.com/1987-01-08/entertainment/ca-3086_1_eugene-cernan |archive-date=August 13, 2016 }}</ref>

In 1999, with co-author [[Donald A. Davis]], he published his memoir ''The Last Man on the Moon,'' which is about his naval and NASA career. He is featured in the space exploration documentary ''[[In the Shadow of the Moon (2007 film)|In the Shadow of the Moon]]'' in which he said, "truth needs no defense" and "nobody can take those footsteps I made on the surface of the Moon away from me".<ref>{{Citation
|last=Soller
|first=Kurt
|title=Moonstruck: Debunking the Claims of Moon Landing Deniers
|newspaper=[[Newsweek]]
|date=July 17, 2009
|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/207149
|access-date=September 4, 2009
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825105158/http://www.newsweek.com/id/207149
|archive-date=August 25, 2009
}}</ref> Cernan also contributed to the [[In the Shadow of the Moon (book)|book of the same name]].

Cernan and Neil Armstrong testified before [[U.S. Congress]] in 2010 in opposition to the cancellation of the [[Constellation program]], which had been initiated during the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|George W. Bush administration]] as part of the [[Vision for Space Exploration]] with the aim of returning humans to the Moon and [[human mission to Mars|eventually Mars]], but was deemed underfunded and unsustainable by the [[Review of United States Human Space Flight Plans Committee|Augustine Commission]] in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna36470363 |title=Armstrong: Obama NASA Plan 'devastating' |access-date=January 17, 2017 |date=April 13, 2010 |work=NBC News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224143658/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/36470363/ns/nbc_nightly_news_with_brian_williams/t/armstrong-obama-nasa-plan-devastating/ |archive-date=December 24, 2016 }}</ref>

Cernan paired his criticism of the cancellation of Constellation with expressions of skepticism about [[Commercial Resupply Services]] (CRS) and [[Commercial Crew Development]] (CCDev), NASA's planned replacements for that program's role in supplying cargo and crew to the [[International Space Station]]. Such companies, Cernan warned, "do not yet know what they don't know." Cernan's view of commercial space companies—in particular [[SpaceX]], which participates in both programs—underwent a positive shift after being debriefed by SpaceX venture capitalist [[Steve Jurvetson]] as part of his effort to obtain the signatures of nine Apollo astronauts on a photograph meant as a gift to SpaceX founder [[Elon Musk]] to commemorate the first successful SpaceX cargo mission to the ISS in 2012. Eventually, Cernan was won over and signed the photograph; "As I told him these stories of heroic entrepreneurship, I could see his mind turning." Jurvetson wrote; "He found a reconciliation: 'I never read any of this in the news. Why doesn't the press report on this?'"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spacepolitics.com/2012/07/12/apollo-astronauts-spacex-and-a-special-photo/ |title=Apollo astronauts, SpaceX, and a special photo |access-date=January 17, 2017 |date=July 12, 2012 |publisher=Space Politics }}</ref>

Cernan gave a [[eulogy]] at Armstrong's funeral in 2012.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eugene Cernan - Eulogy for Neil Armstrong |url=https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/genecernaneulogyneilarmstrong.htm |website=www.americanrhetoric.com |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200215052038/https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/genecernaneulogyneilarmstrong.htm |archive-date=February 15, 2020 |date=2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=November 22, 2012 |title=User Clip: Eugene Cernan's eulogy to Neil Armstrong |url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4165987/user-clip-eugene-cernans-eulogy-neil-armstrong |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528193701/https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4165987/user-clip-eugene-cernans-eulogy-neil-armstrong |archive-date=May 28, 2024 |website=www.c-span.org }}</ref>

In 2014, Cernan appeared in the documentary ''The Last Man on the Moon,'' made by British filmmaker Mark Craig and based on Cernan's 1999 memoir of the same title.<ref name="naples-20151102">{{Cite news |last=Heithaus |first=Harriet Howard |date=November 2, 2015 |title=Mark Craig, moonwalk film director, recalls it |url=https://archive.naplesnews.com/special/film-festival/mark-craig-moonwalk-film-director-recalls-it-233d9702-af05-0a99-e053-0100007fdbd3-339461981.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629181333/https://archive.naplesnews.com/special/film-festival/mark-craig-moonwalk-film-director-recalls-it-233d9702-af05-0a99-e053-0100007fdbd3-339461981.html |archive-date=June 29, 2022 |access-date=June 11, 2016 |newspaper=[[Naples Daily News]] }}</ref> The film received the Texas Independent Film Award from [[Houston Film Critics Society]] and the Movies for Grownups Award from ''AARP The Magazine''.<ref>{{cite web|title=AARP Movies for Grown Ups Award |url=http://thelastmanonthemoon.com/blog/details/15610/aarp-movies-for-grown-ups-award |publisher=The Last Man on the Moon |access-date=June 11, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624112453/http://thelastmanonthemoon.com/blog/details/15610/aarp-movies-for-grown-ups-award |archive-date=June 24, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Houston Film Critics Award |url=http://thelastmanonthemoon.com/blog/details/15611/houston-film-critics-award |publisher=The Last Man on the Moon |access-date=June 11, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624103548/http://thelastmanonthemoon.com/blog/details/15611/houston-film-critics-award |archive-date=June 24, 2016 }}</ref>

===Personal life===
Cernan was married twice and had one daughter. His first wife was Barbara Jean Atchley, a flight attendant for [[Continental Airlines]], whom he married in 1961. They had one daughter, Tracy (born in 1963). The couple separated in 1980 and divorced in 1981. They remained friends.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/science/astronaut-eugene-cernans-regrets-after-7729628 |title=Astronaut Eugene Cernan's regrets after being the last man to walk on the Moon |date=April 10, 2016 |publisher=Mirror |access-date=January 19, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202113654/http://www.mirror.co.uk/science/astronaut-eugene-cernans-regrets-after-7729628 |archive-date=February 2, 2017 }}</ref> His second marriage was to Janis Ellen "Nanna" Cernan ([[married and maiden names|''née'']] Jones; 1939–2021), which lasted for nearly 30 years from 1987 until his death. Cernan gained two step-daughters, Kelly and Danielle.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jconline.com/story/news/2017/01/16/astronaut-purdue-grad-gene-cernan-dead-82/96643970/ |title=Astronaut, Purdue grad Gene Cernan dead at 82 |access-date=May 26, 2017 |date=January 16, 2017 |publisher=Journal and Courier |last1=Ervin |first1=Jeremy }}</ref>

====Death====
Cernan died in a hospital in Houston on January 16, 2017, at the age of 82.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/astronautprofiles/cernan |title=Remembering Gene Cernan |date=January 16, 2017 |publisher=NASA |access-date=January 16, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116201708/https://www.nasa.gov/astronautprofiles/cernan/ |archive-date=January 16, 2017 }}</ref> His funeral was held at [[St. Martin's Episcopal Church (Houston)|St. Martin's Episcopal Church]] in Houston.<ref name=KHOU>{{cite news |author= |title=Hundreds attend Gene Cernan's funeral |url=http://www.khou.com/news/local/hundreds-attend-gene-cernans-funeral/392302810 |work=[[KHOU]] |date=January 24, 2017 |access-date=June 9, 2018 |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202025036/http://www.khou.com/news/local/hundreds-attend-gene-cernans-funeral/392302810 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was buried with [[Military funerals in the United States#Ceremony|full military honors]] at [[Texas State Cemetery]], the first astronaut to be buried there, in a private service on January 25, 2017.<ref name=TSC>{{cite news|last1=Flores |first1=Nancy |title=Astronaut Gene Cernan to be buried at Texas State Cemetery |url=http://www.mystatesman.com/news/local/astronaut-gene-cernan-buried-texas-state-cemetery/M2NHi8GEhnKm9nzJSF4VpJ/ |access-date=January 19, 2017 |work=Austin American-Statesman |date=January 17, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202095523/http://www.mystatesman.com/news/local/astronaut-gene-cernan-buried-texas-state-cemetery/M2NHi8GEhnKm9nzJSF4VpJ/ |archive-date=February 2, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Newton |first1=Noelle |title=Former Astronaut Gene Cernan buried at State Cemetery |url=http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/231754850-story |access-date=January 26, 2017 |work=Fox News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126031808/http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/231754850-story |archive-date=January 26, 2017 }}</ref>

==Organizations==
Cernan was a member of several organizations, including [[Fellow]], [[American Astronautical Society]]; member, [[Society of Experimental Test Pilots]]; member, [[Tau Beta Pi]] (National Engineering Society), [[Sigma Xi]] (National Science Research Society), [[Phi Gamma Delta]] (National Social Fraternity), and [[The Explorers Club]].<ref name=biography/>

==Awards and honors==
* [[Astronaut Badge#U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard astronauts|Naval Aviator Astronaut Insignia]]<ref name=biography/>
* [[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]], [[5/16 inch star|Gold star]] device in lieu of second award<ref name=biography/>
* [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]<ref name=biography/>
* [[National Defense Service Medal]]
* [[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]<ref name=biography/>
* [[NASA Exceptional Service Medal]]<ref name=biography/>
* [[Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy]], 2007<ref name=wins0009>{{cite web| url = https://naa.aero/awards/awards-and-trophies/wright-brothers-memorial-trophy/wright-bros-2000-2009-winners | title = Wright Bros. 2000-2009 Recipients | publisher = National Aeronautic Association | access-date = December 7, 2017 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171208122457/https://naa.aero/awards/awards-and-trophies/wright-brothers-memorial-trophy/wright-bros-2000-2009-winners | archive-date = December 8, 2017}}</ref>
* [[U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://astronautscholarship.org/astronauts/astronaut-hall-of-fame/ |title=U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame |access-date=January 17, 2017 |publisher=Astronaut Scholarship Foundation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161015210623/http://astronautscholarship.org/astronauts/astronaut-hall-of-fame/ |archive-date=October 15, 2016 }}</ref><ref name="floridatoday-19930314">{{Cite news |last=Clark |first=Amy |date=March 14, 1993 |title=Activities Honor Gemini Astronauts |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/florida-today/33582881/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528194036/https://www.newspapers.com/article/florida-today/33582881/ |archive-date=May 28, 2024 |location=Cocoa, Florida |page=41 |via=Newspapers.com |newspaper=[[Florida Today]] }}</ref>
* {{flag|Slovakia}}: Grand Officer (or 2nd Class) of the [[Order of the White Double Cross]] (September 25, 1994).<ref>Slovak republic website, [http://www.slovak-republic.org/symbols/honours/ State honours] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413004835/http://www.slovak-republic.org/symbols/honours/ |date=April 13, 2016 }} : 2nd Class (click on "Holders of the Order of the 2nd Class White Double Cross" to see the holders' table)</ref>
* Great American Award, The [[All-American Boys Chorus]], 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/moon-640867-space-last.html |title=Moon's last visitor comes to town |access-date=January 17, 2017 |date=November 4, 2014 |publisher=The Orange Country Register |last1=Graham |first1=Jordan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150104044815/http://www.ocregister.com/articles/moon-640867-space-last.html |archive-date=January 4, 2015 }}</ref>
* Cernan was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the [[San Diego Air & Space Museum]] in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sandiegoairandspace.org/blog/article/mourning-the-loss-of-gene-cernan |title=Mourning the loss of Gene Cernan|access-date=August 8, 2017}}</ref>
* Orbital ATK announced the naming of its [[Cygnus CRS OA-8E]] Cargo Delivery Spacecraft the S.S. Gene Cernan in honor of Cernan in October 2017.<ref>{{cite web |title=S.S. Gene Cernan Fact Sheet |url=https://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/feature-stories/oa8-mission-page/Documents/SS_Gene%20Cernan_Bio.pdf |website=Orbital ATK Newsroom |publisher=Orbital ATK |access-date=November 15, 2017 |date=October 21, 2017}}</ref> The S.S. Gene Cernan successfully launched to the International Space Station on November 12, 2017.<ref>{{cite web |title=Orbital ATK Successfully Launches Eighth Cargo Delivery Mission to the International Space Station |url=https://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/release.asp?prid=306 |website=Orbital ATK News Room |publisher=Orbital ATK |access-date=November 15, 2017 |date=November 12, 2017 |archive-date=November 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114034927/https://www.orbitalatk.com/news-room/release.asp?prid=306 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* In 2000, Eugene Cernan was inducted into the [[National Aviation Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Enshrinee Eugene Cernan |url=https://nationalaviation.org/enshrinee/eugene-andrew-cernan/ |website=nationalaviation.org |publisher=National Aviation Hall of Fame |access-date=February 1, 2023}}</ref>
Cernan, along with nine of his Gemini astronaut colleagues, was inducted into the [[New Mexico Museum of Space History|International Space Hall of Fame]] in 1982.<ref name="halloffame" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28841417/albuquerque_journal/|title=Astronauts Laud Gemini as Precursor to Shuttle|last1=Shay|first1=Erin|newspaper=Albuquerque Journal|location=Albuquerque, New Mexico|date=October 3, 1982|page=3|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
[[File:Eugene Cernan lunar suit, NASM.JPG|right|thumb|Cernan's [[A7lb#Apollo 15-17 EMU|lunar space suit]] on display at the [[National Air and Space Museum]] in Washington, D.C.]]

On July 2, 1974, Cernan was a roaster of [[Don Rickles]] on ''[[The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast]]''. At the end of the roast, Rickles—who attended the Apollo 17 launch—paid tribute to Cernan as a "delightful, wonderful, great hero".<ref>{{cite episode|series=Dean Martin Celebrity Roast|title=Don Rickles|season=1|date=February 7, 1974|station=NBC|number=17}}</ref>

In the 1998 [[Primetime Emmy Award]]-winning [[HBO]] miniseries ''[[From the Earth to the Moon (miniseries)|From the Earth to the Moon]]'', Cernan was portrayed by [[Daniel Hugh Kelly]].<ref name="nyt-19980403">{{Cite news |last1=James |first1=Caryn |date=April 3, 1998 |title=Television Review; Boyish Eyes on the Moon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/03/movies/television-review-boyish-eyes-on-the-moon.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114070731/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/03/movies/television-review-boyish-eyes-on-the-moon.html |archive-date=November 14, 2023 |access-date=August 5, 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref>

The [[audio commentary]] for the [[Criterion Collection]] release of the film ''[[For All Mankind (film)|For All Mankind]]'' was recorded by Cernan and director [[Al Reinert]] in 1999.<ref name="DVD Mankind">{{cite web |last1=Tyner |first1=Adam |title=For All Mankind |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/37807/for-all-mankind/ |publisher=DVD Talk |access-date=January 7, 2024 |date=July 6, 2009}}</ref>

Cernan was featured in the [[Discovery Channel]]'s 2008 documentary miniseries ''[[When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions]]'', talking about his involvement and missions as an astronaut.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/arts/television/06eart.html |title=50 Years of NASA's Home Movies |newspaper=The New York Times |last1=Schwartz |first1=John |date=June 6, 2008 |access-date=January 17, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170118143040/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/arts/television/06eart.html |archive-date=January 18, 2017 }}</ref>

A popular belief is that Cernan wrote his daughter's initials on a rock on the Moon, [[Tracy's Rock]]. The story, and Cernan's relationship with his daughter, was later adapted into "Tracy's Song" by pop-rock band [[No More Kings]]. The story is inaccurate, as Cernan wrote her initials in the dust, not on a rock. He states in the 2014 documentary ''The Last Man on the Moon''<ref name="spacecom-20160226">{{Cite news |last=Cofield |first=Calla |date=February 26, 2016 |title='Last Man on the Moon' Documentary Brings Space Exploration Home |url=https://www.space.com/32045-last-man-on-moon-documentary-review.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203075500/https://www.space.com/32045-last-man-on-moon-documentary-review.html |archive-date=December 3, 2023 |work=[[Space.com]] }}</ref> that he wrote them in the lunar dust as he left the rover to return to the LM and Earth.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-12-05/last-man-on-moon-left-camera-behind-regrets-nasa-s-fade |title=Last Man on Moon Left Camera Behind, Regrets NASA's Fade |newspaper=Bloomberg.com |date=December 4, 2012 |access-date=June 19, 2016 |publisher=Bloomberg |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160622070937/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-12-05/last-man-on-moon-left-camera-behind-regrets-nasa-s-fade |archive-date=June 22, 2016 }}</ref> The true story of leaving the initials on the lunar surface was prominently mentioned in "[[The Last Walt]]", a 2012 episode of ''[[Modern Family]]''.<ref>{{cite episode|title=The Last Walt|episode-link=The Last Walt|series=Modern Family|series-link=Modern Family|network=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]|date=April 18, 2012|season=3|number=20|minutes=16:45 |quote=When he was leaving the Moon he reached down and wrote his daughter's initials into the lunar surface.}}</ref>

A recording of Cernan's voice during the Apollo 17 mission was sampled by [[Daft Punk]] for "Contact", the last track on their 2013 album ''[[Random Access Memories]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://consequence.net/2013/05/watch-dj-falcon-discuss-new-daft-punk-album-sampling-nasa-space-missions/ |title=Watch DJ Falcon discuss new Daft Punk album, sampling NASA space missions |magazine=Consequence of Sound |date=May 7, 2013 |access-date=May 14, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130607180616/http://consequenceofsound.net/2013/05/watch-dj-falcon-discuss-new-daft-punk-album-sampling-nasa-space-missions/ |archive-date=June 7, 2013 }}</ref> Cernan's last words from the lunar surface, along with Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt's recollections, were used by the band [[Public Service Broadcasting (band)|Public Service Broadcasting]] for the song "Tomorrow", the final track of their 2015 album ''[[The Race for Space (album)|The Race for Space]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://therevue.ca/2015/02/19/public-service-broadcasting-the-race-for-space/ |title=Public Service Broadcasting - The Race For Space |publisher=therevue.ca |date=February 15, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150902113525/http://therevue.ca/2015/02/19/public-service-broadcasting-the-race-for-space/ |archive-date=September 2, 2015 }}</ref>

The Apple TV+ show ''[[For All Mankind (TV series)|For All Mankind]]'' dramatizes the Moon landings. The fictional main character draws comparisons to and shares similarity with the commander of the Apollo 17 mission, Gene Cernan.<ref name="rollingstone-20191031">{{Cite magazine |last=Sepinwall |first=Alan |date=October 31, 2019 |title='For All Mankind' Review: Apple Leaps Into NASA Fan Fiction |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/for-all-mankind-apple-review-903760/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408155616/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/for-all-mankind-apple-review-903760/ |archive-date=April 8, 2023 |access-date=March 19, 2021 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of spaceflight records]]
* The [[Astronaut Monument]], Iceland
* [[Cernan Earth and Space Center]], a public planetarium on the campus of [[Triton College]] in River Grove, Illinois named in Cernan's honor.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category|Eugene A. Cernan}}
*[https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip_15-tm71v5cv70 Interview with Gene Cernan for NOVA series: To the Moon] WGBH Educational Foundation, raw footage, 1998
*[http://www.eaglelander3d.com/cernan.html Gene Cernan flies the Windows-based "Eagle Lander 3D" Simulator] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411042319/http://www.eaglelander3d.com/cernan.html |date=April 11, 2015 }}
*[http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/C/Cernan.html Cernan at Encyclopedia of Science]
*[http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/Cernan-Helo-1971.htm Check-Six.com - The 1971 Crash of Gene Cernan's Helo]
*{{C-SPAN|49787}}
*{{find a Grave|175405252}}

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