Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, a pioneer in astrogeology, holds the unique distinction of being the only human whose ashes are buried on the Moon. His groundbreaking contributions to planetary science earned him this posthumous honor when his remains were delivered to the lunar surface by NASA’s Lunar Prospector space probe on July 31, 1999.
Born in Los Angeles in 1928, Shoemaker was a trailblazer in understanding planetary impacts. His doctoral work at Princeton in 1960 unraveled the mysteries behind craters, including Arizona’s Barringer Meteor Crater. He later established the Astrogeology Research Program under the U.S. Geological Survey, fostering advancements in space exploration.
Shoemaker played a vital role in training Apollo astronauts, including Neil Armstrong, and contributed to early lunar missions. Though he dreamed of walking on the Moon, his diagnosis with Addison’s disease ended those ambitions.
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In 1993, he co-discovered the Shoemaker-Levy comet, which famously struck Jupiter in an event witnessed globally. Tragically, Shoemaker died in a car accident during a research trip to Australia in 1997.
His legacy lives on, not only through his scientific achievements but also in his eternal presence on the Moon—a fitting tribute to a man dedicated to exploring worlds beyond our own.
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