Title: A resolution honoring the life and achievements of Eugene A. "Gene" Cernan.
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Honors the life of Gene Cernan who was a Navy aviator, fighter pilot, electrical engineer, and the last astronaut to walk on the Moon.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 27 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 27

    Honoring the life and achievements of Eugene A. ``Gene'' Cernan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 24, 2017

  Mr. Cruz (for himself, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Peters, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Van 
 Hollen, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Inhofe, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Thune, Mr. 
Wicker, and Mr. Gardner) submitted the following resolution; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Honoring the life and achievements of Eugene A. ``Gene'' Cernan.

Whereas Gene Cernan was born on March 14, 1934, in Chicago, Illinois, was raised 
        in the suburban towns of Bellwood and Maywood, and graduated from 
        Proviso Township High School;
Whereas Gene Cernan began his career as a basic flight trainee in the United 
        States Navy;
Whereas Gene Cernan was one of fourteen astronauts selected by NASA in October 
        1963 to participate in the Gemini and Apollo programs;
Whereas Gene Cernan was the second American to have walked in space having 
        spanned the circumference of the world twice in a little more than 2\1/
        2\ hours in 1966 during the Gemini 9 mission;
Whereas Gene Cernan served as the lunar module pilot for Apollo 10 in 1969, 
        which was referred to as the ``dress rehearsal'' for Apollo 11's 
        historic landing on the Moon;
Whereas Gene Cernan was commander of Apollo 17 in 1972, during the last human 
        mission to the Moon;
Whereas Gene Cernan maintains the distinction of being the last man to have left 
        his footprints on the surface of the Moon;
Whereas Gene Cernan was one of the three men to have flown to the Moon on two 
        occasions;
Whereas Gene Cernan logged 566 hours and 15 minutes in space, of which more than 
        73 hours were spent on the surface of the Moon;
Whereas Gene Cernan and the crew of Apollo 17 set records that still stand 
        today, for longest manned lunar landing flight, longest lunar surface 
        extra vehicular activities, largest lunar sample return, and longest 
        time in lunar orbit;
Whereas Gene Cernan retired from the Navy after 20 years and ended his NASA 
        career in July 1976; and
Whereas, on January 16, 2016, Gene Cernan passed away in Houston, Texas, leaving 
        behind a vibrant history of space exploration and advocacy for NASA, a 
        legacy of inspiring young people to ``dream the impossible'', and a 
        documentary that encourages continual human space exploration: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate honors the life of Gene Cernan, a Naval 
aviator, fighter pilot, electrical engineer, and the last astronaut to 
walk on the Moon.
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