Next Stop: The Moon
Cernan's first trip to the moon occured on May 18, 1969 when he launched into space as the Apollo 10 lunar module pilot. Apollo 10 was commanded by Tom Stafford, with John Young serving as command module pilot.
Apollo 10 Near the Moon
Cernan and Apollo 10 commander Thomas Stafford flew to within 47,400 feet above the moon on Apollo 10. Here, the ascent stage of their Apollo 10 lunar module as the two astronauts returned to their command module.
Rolling Out with Apollo 10
The Saturn V that would carry Cernan to within just a few dozen miles of the moon in 1969 on the Apollo 10 mission rolls out to its launchpad. The mission ultimately launched on May 18, 1969, just two months before the historic the Apollo 11 moon landing mission.
Suited Up: May 1969
Cernan served as lunar module pilot during NASA's Apollo 10 mission. Here he is suited up for launch during a preflight test at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Apollo 10 crew - Cernan, Young, Stafford
The crew of the Apollo 10 space mission. Left to right are Eugene A. Cernan, lunar module pilot; John W. Young, command module pilot; and Thomas P. Stafford, commander.
Ready for Gemini 9
Before launching on his two moon flights, Cernan orbited the Earth with crewmate Tom Stafford during NASA's Gemini 9 mission. Here the astronauts are seen in the white room leading to their Gemini capsule on June 3, 1966.
The View from Space
Cernan took a 2-hour, 8-minute spacewalk during Gemini 9 on June 5, 1969. He took this wide-angle view looking back at his Gemini capsule (where Stafford was watching) and the Earth far below.
A Selfie in Space
Cernan's experience working outside the Gemini 9 capsule (captured here in a photo by Stafford) test new ways to work in weightlessness, but did reveal that more work was needed to walk in space.
Splashdown!
Cernan and Stafford ended Gemini 9 with a successful splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean on June 6, 1966. It was the first spacecraft return to Earth broadcast live on television.
Cernan at Armstrong Memorial Service
Apollo 17 mission commander Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, speaks during a memorial service celebrating the life of Neil Armstrong at the Washington National Cathedral, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012. Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, died Saturday, Aug. 25. He was 82.
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