Rotary National Award for Space Achievement
Board of Advisors
Abbey, George W. S.
Albaugh, Jim
Aldrich, Arnold D.
Aldridge, Jr., Edward C.
Allen, Lew
Armstrong, Neil A.
Asker, Jim
Augustine, Norman R.
Brandenstein, Dan
Cabana, Robert
Campbell, Donald J.
Carr, Jeffrey E.
Carreau, Mark E.
Cernan, Eugene
Coats, Michael L.
Cohen, Aaron
Collins, Eileen M.
Covey, Richard O.
Crippen, Robert
Culbertson, Jr., Frank L.
Dickman, Robert
Dittemore, Ronald D.
Engle, Joe H.
Estess, Roy S.
Fuqua, Donald
Gerstenmaier, William H.
Glenn, Jr., John H.
Griffin, Gerald D.
Hartsfield, Henry W.
Hartz, Jim
Heflin, J. Milt
Hendershot, Cynthia
Hill, Shepard W.
Holloway, Tommy W.
Hutchinson, Neil B.
Hutchison, Kay Bailey
Johnson, Sandra G.
Karas, John C.
Kerwin, Joseph P.
Kraft, Jr., Christopher C.
Kranz, Eugene F.
Kropp, Debbie
Lunney, Glynn S.
McCall, Robert T.
Mueller, George E.
O’Brien, Miles
Parsons, William W.
Pickens, III, Thomas B.
Pulham, Elliot G.
Readdy, William F.
Reightler, Kenneth S.
Schmitt, Harrison H.
Shaw, Brewster H.
Short, Tom W.
Stafford, Thomas P.
Staples, William A.
Stephens, Richard D.
Stone, Randy
Truly, Richard H.
Vantine, William
Wilkins, III, John S.
Young, John W.
PRESS RELEASE
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For immediate release January 30, 2008
Media Contact: Marianne Dyson, 281-486-4747,
Eugene Cernan Named 2008 RNASA Space Trophy Winner
Rodolfo González, President of the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement (RNASA) Foundation of Houston, Texas is pleased to announce that the Foundation’s National Board of Advisors has selected Captain Eugene “Gene” Cernan (USN, Ret.) to receive its highest honor, the National Space Trophy for 2008. The award has been presented annually for the past 22 years to an individual who has excelled in furthering national goals in the field of space.
Capt. Cernan’s citation reads, “For outstanding achievements as an astronaut. Second American to walk in space (Gemini IX); crew member on second flight to the moon (Apollo X); and Commander of the last landing on the moon (Apollo XVII); and as an advocate for space exploration and education.”
The 2007 Trophy winner and former Flight Director Gene Kranz said, “I had the privilege of launching Cernan on his first mission into space and again at the beginning of his journey on Apollo 17. Geno, as he was known to the controllers, left nothing to chance. His preparation for a mission was flawless, in-flight performance top-notch, and post flight parties for the memory books.”
Captain Cernan will receive his trophy at the RNASA annual black-tie banquet to be held on Friday, April 25, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Houston. CNN Correspondent Miles O’Brien will serve as Master of Ceremonies, and Mr. Tom Short, President of Anadarko Industries and a long-time business associate of Captain Cernan, will present the National Space Trophy. Information on corporate tickets can be obtained by contacting Bill Taylor at .
Photos of Captain Cernan approved for use with this announcement plus program information and a list of previous trophy winners are available on the website: www.rnasa.org.
Biographical data follows.
Biography
EUGENE A. CERNAN, CAPTAIN, USN (RET.)
Captain Eugene A. Cernan (USN, Ret.) was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 14, 1934. He graduated from Proviso Township High School in Maywood, Illinois, and received a BS in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana, in 1956. He earned a MS in Aeronautical Engineering in 1963 from the United States Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California.
Cernan was one of fourteen astronauts selected by NASA in October 1963. He was the pilot of Gemini 9 which launched on June 3, 1966. During this 3-day flight commanded by Tom Stafford, the crew used three different techniques to rendezvous with the previously launched Augmented Target Docking Adapter. With Gemini 9 at an altitude of 161 miles; Cernan became the second American to walk in space. He logged two hours and ten minutes outside the spacecraft. After 72 hours and 20 minutes in space, Gemini 9 landed within 1-1/2 miles of the recovery ship USS WASP, and 3/8 of a mile from the predetermined target.
Cernan served as backup pilot for Gemini 12, and as backup lunar module pilot for Apollo 7.
Cernan was lunar module pilot of Apollo 10, the lunar-orbital qualification and verification flight test of the Apollo lunar module. Launching on May 18, Apollo 10 flew to a distance of 285,200 miles from Earth. Thomas P. Stafford (1930--) was the commander, and John W. Young (1930--) was the command module pilot. Apollo 10 confirmed the operations performance, stability, and reliability of the command/service module and lunar module configuration during trans-lunar coast, lunar orbit insertion, and lunar module separation and descent to within 9 miles of the lunar surface. In addition to demonstrating that humans could navigate safely and accurately in the moon's gravitational fields, Apollo 10 photographed and mapped tentative landing sites for future missions. The flight returned to Earth on May 26, 1969.
Cernan's next assignment was backup spacecraft commander for Apollo 14.
He made his third space flight as commander of Apollo 17--the last mission to the moon for the United States in the 20th century. On December 7, 1972, Apollo 17 was the first night-time launch of the American program. Ronald Evans (1933-90) was the pilot of the command module America, and the pilot of the lunar module, Challenger, was Harrison H. Schmitt (1935--). Cernan and Schmitt spent more than three days on the lunar surface in the Taurus-Littrow area, near the southeast edge of Mare Serenitatis. This last mission to the moon established several new records for manned space flight including: longest lunar landing flight (301 hours 51 minutes); longest lunar surface extravehicular activities (22 hours 6 minutes); largest lunar sample return (about 249 lbs.); and longest time in lunar orbit (147 hours 48 minutes). Apollo 17 ended with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean approximately 0.4 miles from the target point and 4.3 miles form the prime recovery ship USS TICONDEROGA on December 19, 1972.
At the conclusion of Apollo 17, Captain Cernan had logged 566 hours and 15 minutes in space-of which more than 73 hours were spent on the surface of the moon.
In September, 1973, Cernan assumed additional duties as Special Assistant to the Program Manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program at the Johnson Space Center. He assisted in the planning, development, and evaluation of the joint United States/Soviet Union Apollo-Soyuz mission, acting for the program manager as a senior American negotiator.
After serving twenty years as a Naval Aviator, Captain Cernan retired from the United States Navy in July 1976 and concurrently terminated his formal association with NASA.
From 1976 to 1981, Captain Cernan served as the Executive Vice President, International, and Director of Coral Petroleum, Inc. He was charged with the corporate development of a world-wide supply and marketing strategy. During this period, Captain Cernan furthered his education at the Wharton School of Finance and Northwestern University.
In September 1981, Cernan started his own company, The Cernan Corporation, an aerospace technology and marketing consulting firm. He continues to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of this corporation.
Cernan joined Digital Equipment in 1986 and served as an Executive Consultant, Aerospace and Government, for the Government Systems Group organization until 1992. Additionally, he served as Chairman of Johnson Engineering from 1994 until their acquisition by SPACEHAB, Inc. in 2000.
Cernan has acted as a Special Technical Consultant covering space and related documentary programming–most notable among which are ABC Television’s News and Special Events and ESPN’s documentary coverage of “EARTHWINDS HILTON.” His autobiography, The Last Man on the Moon, was published by St. Martin’s Press in 1999.
He resides with his wife, Jan Nanna Cernan, in Houston, Texas. They have three daughters and nine grandchildren. His hobbies include a love for horses and all competitive sports activities, including hunting, fishing and his passion for flying.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Cernan’s honors include the Navy Distinguished Flying Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal with Star, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the FAI International Gold Medal for Space, the VFW Gold Space Award, the Daughters of the American Revolution Medal for Space, the Sons of the American Revolution George Washington Award, induction into the U.S. Space Hall of Fame, the Challenger Center’s “Salute to the U.S. Space Program” Honor, Slovak American World Recognition Award, Czech Republic Presidential Medal of Honor and a Television Emmy. Cernan was an Olympic Torch Bearer in May, 1996; was honored by the Illinois State Society as Outstanding Illinoisian during the 54th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, DC., was recipient of the 2003 National Engineering Washington Award; and in May, 2005, Cernan was awarded NASA’s first Ambassador of Exploration Award. Cernan has been enshrined into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, and into Naval Aviation’s Hall of Honor in May 2006. In October 2006, he received the Federal Aviation Administration’s coveted Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, and in May 2007, he received the Lindbergh Spirit Award presented every five years. In December 2007, the National Aeronautic Association presented Cernan with the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy. In 2008, he will be awarded the National Space Trophy by the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation.
Cernan was also awarded honorary doctorates of engineering from Purdue, Drexel and Gonzaga Universities, and an honorary doctorate from Western State College of Law and Comenius University of the Slovak Republic.
AFFILIATIONS
Cernan is an active member of several professional societies. These include the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, Association of Naval Aviation, Tail Hook Association, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, American Astronautical Society (Fellow), and the Early and Pioneer Naval Aviators Association (“Golden Eagles”). Cernan is a member emeritus of the Board of Directors of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the President’s Engineering Council Purdue University; and on of the Board of Trustees of the U.S. Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, NFL Alumni and Major League Baseball Players Alumni. He’s also a member of Tau Beta Pi (National Engineering Society), Sigma Xi (National Science Research Society), and Phi Gamma Delta (National Social Fraternity).
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