I've been asked about UFOs and I've said publicly I thought they were somebody else, some other civilization. Gene Cernan More Quotes by Gene Cernan More Quotes From Gene Cernan As I step off at the surface at Taurus-Littrow, I'd like to dedicate the first step of Apollo 17 to all those who made it possible. Gene Cernan apollo moon steps Nobody can take those footsteps I made on the surface of the moon away from me. Gene Cernan surface moon made Some of the most exciting space education in the country is not coming out of Washington or New York or California or even Texas. It's coming from a place in Kansas called the Cosmosphere. Gene Cernan texas new-york country We will certainly see teachers, journalists, artists and poets in space. Whatever it takes to the be the best is what it will take to get you into space. Gene Cernan space artist teacher I hold the world speed record downhill, in a Rover. I think it was 17 kilometers per hour, downhill. Gene Cernan records world thinking 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. Gene Cernan mars waiting home Today, we are on a path of decay. We are seeing the book close on five decades of accomplishment as the leader in human space exploration. Gene Cernan accomplishment space book Some astronauts describe the routine flushing of urine into space, where the freezing temperatures turn the droplets into a cloud of bright, drifting crystals, as being among the most amazing sights they saw on an entire voyage. Gene Cernan space sight clouds I think America has a responsibility to maintain its leadership in technology and its moral leadership in the world, to explore, to seek knowledge. Gene Cernan technology responsibility thinking Perhaps the two greatest moments of my life were standing on the moon and being outside of the room when my granddaughter was born! We tend not to remember the worst. Gene Cernan granddaughter moon two One of the most important things about the geology on the moon is your descriptions of what you see, comparing them to things that you've seen on Earth so that the geologists and the scientists on the ground would know what you're talking about; and then take pictures of them. Gene Cernan important moon talking I was a child of World War Two . I saw films of pilots taking off from aircraft carriers and decided that was the only thing I wanted to do. And it had to be flying from sea carriers. Airfields were not enough. Gene Cernan war two children People try to typecast astronauts as heroic and superhuman. We're only human beings. Gene Cernan heroic trying people Get the shuttle out of the garage. It's in its prime of its life. How could we just put it away? Gene Cernan garage prime Neil Armstrong was probably one of the most human guys I've ever known in my life. Gene Cernan armstrong guy humans It's our destiny to explore. It's our destiny to be a space-faring nation. Gene Cernan fate destiny space OK, let's get this mother out of here. Gene Cernan star-gazing apollo mother The countdown reached ten seconds and I could almost hear an invisible crescendo of stirring background music. 'Anchors aweigh!' Five, four, three, two, one... and we had ignition! Gene Cernan anchors three two We don't have the capability today to put a human being in space of any kind, shape or form, which is absolutely, totally unacceptable when we got the greatest flying machine in the world sitting down at Kennedy in a garage there with nothing to do. Gene Cernan machines flying space The moon is bland in color. I call it shades of gray. You know, the only color we see is what we bring or the Earth, which is looking down upon us all the time. And to find orange soil on the moon was a surprise. Gene Cernan orange color moon
