Last man on moon recalls trek 40 years ago SPACE

Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene Cernan is seen during a media event at Adler Planetarium, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012 in Chicago. Cernan's hand and foot prints, as well as those of fellow Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene Cernan and Apollo 13 astronaut James Lovell, will be displayed in an upcoming exhibit to celebrate 40th anniversary of the Apollo 17 mission, the 11th and final manned flight to the Moon for NASA's Apollo program. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) less Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene Cernan is seen during a media event at Adler Planetarium, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2012 in Chicago. Cernan's hand and foot prints, as well as those of fellow Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene ... more Photo: Kiichiro Sato, Associated Press Photo: Kiichiro Sato, Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Last man on moon recalls trek 40 years ago 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

New York --

On Dec. 14, 1972, Apollo 17 Cmdr. Eugene Cernan climbed from the moon's dusty surface up the rungs of the Lunar Module ladder, entered his spacecraft and began the journey back to Earth.

Almost 40 years later, he still finds it strange to have been the last man on the moon.

"I honestly believed it wasn't the end but the beginning," said Cernan, now 78. He thought at the time: "We're not only going back but, by the end of the century, humans will be well on their way to Mars."

Funding for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as a percentage of the national budget has declined. The United States now relies on Russia to fly to the International Space Station.

I spoke with the retired U.S. Navy captain and veteran of Gemini IX, Apollo 10 and Apollo 17 at a recent Explorers Club event in Manhattan, N.Y.

Clash: You came close to landing on the moon on Apollo 10, just before Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's mission.

Cernan: Having come close, it was important to cover that last 47,000 feet to the surface. Once I finally stepped on the moon as part of Apollo 17, nobody could take those steps from me. People ask how long will they be there, and I say forever - like my daughter's initials that I scribbled in the sand.

Clash: Perhaps your last steps are more significant. As you mounted the ladder to return, what was going through your mind?

Cernan: I looked back at Earth in all its splendor - I call it sitting on God's front porch looking home - then down at my last footprint and realized, "Hey, I'm not coming this way again."

I physically hesitated, asking what the meaning of the last three days was - not just to me, but to all who would follow, and not just technologically but philosophically, spiritually. I didn't have an answer then, and I don't now.

Clash: There are divided views now about whether we should send men back to the moon first, or go directly to Mars.

Cernan: I do think we need to go to the moon first to set up a base so we can use more advanced propulsion techniques. Am I willing to go to Mars? Yes, but I'm not willing to spend nine months getting there, then wait 18 more months until the planets align to come home.

Chemical propulsion is obsolete to go anywhere other than the moon. Three days - that's acceptable. But for Mars we need propulsion technologies to get us there in say, 60 days - then spend whatever length of time we want to spend and return when we want to come home.

Clash: Your frustration with NASA is evident. You obviously would have liked to see more moon missions. How about your own visit to the moon - anything you would have done differently?

Cernan: I left my Hasselblad camera there with the lens pointing up at the zenith, the idea being someday someone would come back and find out how much deterioration solar cosmic radiation had on the glass.

So, going up the ladder, I never took a photo of my last footstep. How dumb! Wouldn't it have been better to take the camera with me, get the shot, take the film pack off and then (for weight restrictions) throw the camera away?

I did capture in my mind what that last footprint looked like, though.