Eugene Cernan: The last man on the moon to appear at this year's Reno Air Races

Born in Chicago, Cernan was selected by NASA in 1963 after serving in the Navy with Attack Squadrons 26 and 113 at California's Miramar Naval Air Station.

He flew as pilot on Gemini 9 with Tom Stafford as commander in June 1966. The mission included Cernan's record-setting 2 hour and 9 minute spacewalk. Cernan and Stafford returned to space aboard Apollo 10 on May 18, 1969. Together with John Young, they orbited the moon, Cernan and Stafford separating the Lunar Module and approaching within 10 miles of the surface to pave the way for the Apollo 11 crew.

He had his own Apollo command when Apollo 17 blasted off on Dec. 7, 1972. His team set up a science station and assembled their moon buggy for three, seven-hour excursions through the mountain-ringed valley of Taurus-Littrow. This was the last Apollo flight.

Cernan later acted as NASA's senior negotiator in direct discussions with the Soviets on Apollo-Soyuz, the 1975 joint American-Soviet space mission. He retired from the Navy and left NASA in 1976 to enter business. He is currently president of Cernan Energy Group.

With a total of six race classes and a star-studded air show, the NCAR Board of Directors is looking to make this year's event the best ever. NASA astronauts from every space program will serve as grand marshals and the United States Air Force Thunderbirds will present several shows, all courtesy of the Eldorado Hotel Casino and Silver Legacy Resort Casino. The 1999 Reno Air Races and Air Show are Sept. 16-19 at the Reno/Stead Airport. Ticket prices for the Air Races range from $8 general admission to a four-day, reserved seat season pass at $80. Pit Passes, Box Seats, VIP packages and sponsorships are also available. For ticket information, call (775) 972-6333.