July 21, 2016

Captain Eugene Cernan holds the distinction of being the last man to leave his footprints on the moon. Cernan is one of only three people to go to the Moon twice and the last man to leave a footprint on the lunar surface. Cernan's distinction as the last person to walk on the Moon means that Purdue University currently holds the distinction of being the alma mater of both the first person to walk on the Moon (Neil Armstrong), and the most recent. The final words Cernan spoke on the Moon in December 1972 represented everything the Apollo missions stood for. “We leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return,” he said, “with peace and hope for all mankind.” Eugene Cernan is now 82 years old.