Farewell to the Last Man on the Moon

Gene Cernan, the last human being to walk on the moon, has died. Naturally I didn't know Cernan, and as always I feel a strange twinge when the death of a celebrity hits me harder than that of any less famous person, but Cernan's work, like those of the other astronauts, moved me profoundly as a child. And to this day, I'm amazed that the men who walked on the moon were and are my contemporaries.

Cold war politics aside, manned exploration of the moon stands as one of humanity's most profound and incredible achievements, and I am shocked that now half of the men that walked on the moon are gone before they could see anyone return. I hope at least a few of them live to see people continue humanity's exploration of the solar system before they, too, pass on.