Space Generations: Gene Cernan Talks with ISS Crew

By Nancy Atkinson - February 5, 2013 at 7:57 PM UTC | Space Exploration

It was a feel-good moment in NASA's Mission Control in Houston: Apollo astronaut Gene Cernan dialed up the International Space Station crew to chat. There was banter back and forth about how Cernan was part of the generation that inspired the current ISS crew, and how the ISS crews are inspiring the next generation.

"You are now the shoulders for the kids to stand upon," Cernan told ISS commander Kevin Ford. Cernan, who has expressed dismay at NASA's current path, said he was mightily impressed with what the ISS crews are doing. "I'm envious," he said. "I wish I could be up there with you. You guys are doing one heckuva great job. You have a big legacy to build upon and from where you leave off we're gonna get these kids down here excited about pressing on and going even further... I'm personally proud."

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com