Astronaut Cernan recalls final moonwalk

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — It was a moment in time astronaut Eugene Cernan knew was historic and shouldn’t be rushed.

After spending three days on the moon during the final Apollo lunar-landing mission, Cernan was poised to step off the lunar surface and into the lunar module for the final time. It would make him the last person to walk on the moon for the foreseeable future.

Cernan and the other Apollo astronauts are back in the spotlight as the nation prepares to mark the 40th anniversary of the first moonwalk — Neil Armstrong’s steps on July 20, 1969. The National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton plans to honor the Apollo astronauts next week.

The moon landings came to an end with Apollo 17, when Cernan and Harrison Schmitt blasted off the lunar surface on Dec. 14, 1972.