Gene Cernan, a NASA astronaut who was the last man to set foot on the moon, has passed away at the age of 82.

Cernan flew three space missions and was the commander of Apollo XVII in December 1972. That was the last lunar mission and one of the final Apollo flights.

When he stepped out of the lunar module "Challenger", he became the 11th person to walk on the moon. His lunar module pilot, Jack Schmitt, was the 12th. However, as commander, Cernan was the last to re-enter the module, technically making him the last person to walk on the lunar surface.

Gene Cernan was proceeded in death by his wife Jan. He is survived by three daughters and one grandchild.

 

More From 97.3 The Dawg