The National Aeronautic Association announced on Wednesday that retired Navy Captain Eugene Cernan is the winner of the 2007 Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy. The trophy, presented annually, is awarded “…to a living American for significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the United States.” Previous winners include Charles Lindbergh, Igor Sikorski, Juan Trippe, and Neil Armstrong. Cernan was selected for the trophy due to his extraordinary lifetime of achievement as an astronaut, naval aviator, and ambassador for aerospace. One of 14 astronauts selected by NASA in 1963, he flew in space three times, spent three days on the lunar surface as commander of Apollo 17, and became known as the “last man on the moon.”
Cernan will receive the trophy at the Aero Club of Washingtons Wright Memorial Dinner on Dec. 14. Cernan also is known for his eloquence, and is featured in the new film release, “In the Shadow of the Moon.”
