![\"Gene](\"http:\/\/blogs.lib.purdue.edu\/asc\/files\/2015\/09\/Purdue-Figis-300x236.jpg\")
<\/a>Gene Cernan, front row and center, was a member of Purdue Fijis while a student at Purdue<\/p><\/div>\n
Astronauts were not born in their spacesuits, so how did they grow to fit one so nicely? Cernan played sports throughout his youth and engaged actively in the communities at Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois and at Purdue University. Between athletics, the Naval ROTC, joining the Purdue chapter of Phi Gamma Delta, and editing two yearbooks, Cernan must have hardly had a moment to himself throughout his education. He even majored in Electrical Engineering, whose students today only have time to sleep while their code compiles. Cernan later got a Masters in Aerospace Engineering from the US Naval Postgraduate School while also serving in the Navy. Cernan\u2019s ascent, it seems, started long before he climbed aboard a rocket, or even joined NASA. It took drive and effort and recognition, but also choice. I\u2019m no scientist, but launching into space appears to involve momentum.<\/p>\n
![\"Cernan](\"http:\/\/blogs.lib.purdue.edu\/asc\/files\/2015\/09\/Cernan-Navy-2-240x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Cernan was a pilot in the United State Navy before joining NASA<\/p><\/div>\n
Eugene Cernan is human, but when did he become superhuman? Newspaper records abound in the collection and honed in on every last detail of Cernan, his family, his colleagues in spacesuits, and the missions he participated in. As much as it mattered to the nation what exactly his missions would accomplish, it mattered how Cernan trained and what he ate for breakfast. It mattered how his wife, Barbara Cernan, felt about her husband\u2019s chances. It mattered whether his daughter, Tracy Cernan, was worried or excited about her father\u2019s mission. It definitely mattered when Cernan broadcast expletives to the entire nation because \u2018Snoopy,\u2019 the lunar module, rolled unexpectedly above the moon during Apollo 10. And it mattered not only that Cernan and his colleagues landed safely after each mission, but also how they subsequently engaged with the nation through interviews and tours. The Space Race was won beyond Earth\u2019s atmosphere by a relative few, but it\u2019s impossible to imagine everyday Americans as mere spectators. NASA\u2019s space exploration programs were cultural as well as scientific or political endeavors, and culture only takes on meaning when it is shared among people.<\/p>\n
What (conceptual) space in terrestrial American society do astronauts play? Astronauts were and are icons, and the Cernan collection shows it. Telegram after telegram, letter after letter from celebrities, politicians, and business leaders. No fewer than seven sitting presidents\u00a0corresponded with Cernan to varying degrees. Photos join the correspondence and show Cernan meeting some of those presidents, playing in charity golf tournaments with Bob Hope and Jimmy Demaret, showing NASA facilities to Barbara Eden, taking part in international tours, carrying the Olympic torch, and waving with Neil Armstrong at Ross-Ade\u2019s fifty yard line at a Purdue football game. Astronauts have long been seen as a representation of the best of humanity. \u00a0They helped the nation better understand its own potential. The Eugene Cernan papers shows this process was personal, not ethereal.<\/p>\n
![\"Earth](\"http:\/\/blogs.lib.purdue.edu\/asc\/files\/2015\/09\/earth-rise-241x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Earth rise. NASA image, from the Eugene Cernan papers<\/p><\/div>\n
How do astronauts make meaning of their experiences? A central piece of the Cernan papers records the research and writing process of Cernan\u2019s autobiography, The Last Man on the Moon<\/em>. Cernan didn\u2019t write the book based on memory alone, but rather reconstructed and reflected upon his experiences using hundreds of personal records which Purdue now houses. For feedback, he called upon the vast array of friends and acquaintances gathered over a lifetime of accomplishment. Their support was later joined by scores of fan letters. In crafting his reflections, Cernan grounded his individual experiences firmly in the broader machinations of society, situating himself as a person who became an astronaut who became a celebrity.<\/p>\n Smarter researchers than me will find the answers to these questions flowing incorporeally through the many pages and artifacts of Cernan\u2019s collection. Which brings us to the heart of the matter: not what the collection offers, but why it exists at all.<\/p>\n During a visit to Purdue’s main campus last year, Cernan observed what’s become of his papers when the Cernan and Armstrong collections were opened for research.[2]<\/a> I imagine (and I stress the word ‘imagine’ here) that when just about everyone else in the room is clamoring to speak to you, it’s difficult form a cogent thought let alone have a moment of genuine reflection. But the revered Purdue alumnus did reflect, and he had a lot to say. One thing in particular stuck with me: the Cernan papers are here within Purdue Archives and Special Collections to be viewed.\u00a0This collection could have ended up in the Smithsonian. But it didn’t. Instead Cernan’s papers made their final touch down about a thousand feet from Harry’s Chocolate Shop.<\/p>\n
![\"Chicago](\"http:\/\/blogs.lib.purdue.edu\/asc\/files\/2015\/09\/astronauts-only-human-300x169.jpg\")
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