Last but not the Last

Artemis is on its way to the Moon, paving the way for the next person to walk again on its surface. In December it will be 50 years since the Gene Cernan became the “last” man on the Moon. In the past it was competition with the USSR that drove the dive into space, but now it is in search for useful resources, especially water ice, which could provide the foundation for a prolonged presence there. If in the future nuclear fusion becomes a practical source of energy, there will be a rush to the lunar surface to mine helium-3 as a fusion fuel with very little radioactive residual.

Lunar Trivia: Gene Cernan has been called “the last man on the Moon,” but he was the 11th person to step onto the moon and Harrison “Jack” Schmitt was the 12th person to step onto its surface from the lunar lander. So why is Gene the “last man on the moon.?” Hint: Due to cramped quarters in the lunar lander, the last person off the lander had to be the first person to step off the Moon back into the lander.

So, if someone tries tell you that Gene Cernan was the last person to step onto the Moon, they don’t know Jack Schmitt!

#artemis #genecernan #jackschmitt #tauruslittrow #moon