Astronaut Profile
Ronald E. Evans
Command Module Pilot
Ronald Evans orbited the Moon alone for three days during Apollo 17, then stepped into deep space on the trip home, becoming one of only three people ever to perform a spacewalk between the Earth and the Moon.
OrbitingTruths Archive
Command Module Pilot • Deceased
Biography
The person behind the mission
Ronald E. Evans was a United States Navy pilot and NASA astronaut who served as Command Module Pilot on Apollo 17 in 1972, the final crewed mission to the Moon. While Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt explored the Taurus-Littrow valley, Evans spent more time alone in lunar orbit than any other Apollo Command Module Pilot. On the return journey, he performed a deep-space EVA to retrieve film from the spacecraft's scientific instrument bay, one of only three such spacewalks ever conducted.
Astronaut Details
Born
November 10, 1933
Died
April 7, 1990
Birthplace
St. Francis, Kansas, USA
Role
Command Module Pilot
Program
Apollo
Time in Space
12 days, 13 hours
EVA Time
1 hour, 6 minutes
Missions
Apollo 17
Recognition
Awards & Honors
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- NASA Exceptional Service Medal
- NASA Space Flight Medal