The following is an edited transcript of a chat conducted on Thursday, January 21, 1999 with Eugene Cernan, the last astronaut to walk on the moon.

Chat Participant: Dr. Cernan, would you fly in space today if given the chance?

Eugene Cernan: Yes, I would, particularly if I could go back to the moon or on to Mars.

Chat Participant: What has been the greatest moment of your life so far? The worst?

Eugene Cernan: Perhaps the two greatest moments of my life were standing on the moon and being outside of the room when my granddaughter was born! We tend not to remember the worst.

Chat Participant: Your guess - when will man conquer Mars, or one of its moons?

Eugene Cernan: The crew for that first spaceship to Mars are in our elementary schools today. We are talking about this happening within the next generation.

Chat Participant: I recently read that the Venture Star will be operational by 2003. How is this system going to effect the manned shuttle flights?

Eugene Cernan: I am not all that familiar with Venture Star, so I don't really have an answer for that question. But, I have feeling the shuttle will be with us for some time into the future - or a direct derivative of the shuttle.

Chat Participant: What do you think the greatest benefit of the lunar landing was?

Eugene Cernan: The benefits of the entire Apollo program are so numerous and far reaching. I could go on forever...but certainly technology is one. Considering the time during which Apollo occurred, the mid to late 60s, it was a time when this nation of ours needed to reach out for a goal, beyond staying preoccupied with our own internal ills.

Chat Participant: Are you disappointed at the lack of attention or effort made at colonization and further exploration of the moon?

Eugene Cernan: Yes, and I can best answer that question by saying that I am disappointed that I am the last man to have left his footprints on the moon - 26 years later. I sincerely believed that we would not only be back to the moon, but on our way to Mars by now.

Chat Participant: Sir, will we return to the moon in the next 25 years?

Eugene Cernan: Yes, we will not only return to the moon, but within the next 25 years we will see men and women on Mars.

Chat Participant: Dr. Cernan: How does one prepare to become an astronaut and how does one actually become a NASA astronaut?

Eugene Cernan: To become an astronaut, someone has to have a dream of his own to do something that he or she has always wanted to do, then commit himself to making that dream come true. In the future, I don't believe the disciplines will be solely built around science, technology and engineering. We will certainly see teachers, journalists, artists and poets in space. Whatever it takes to the be the best is what it will take to get you into space.

Chat Participant: What is your opinion on citizens in space?

Eugene Cernan: I think there should be more of them to join the ranks of us who already have our "passports."

Chat Participant: Should we establish a permanent base on the Moon for advanced studies of the solar system and the rest of space? And do you think it will happen?

Eugene Cernan: I believe we should have a far-reaching goal of getting man to Mars to build the infrastructure to make that happen, and develop the technology to make it possible. If that dictates a permanent base on Mars to study the solar system along the way, then so be it.

Chat Participant: Do you keep in touch with your crewmates after all this time?

Eugene Cernan: I keep in touch with several other astronauts. Some of us are very good friends, some of us are former associates. Perhaps it is like any profession. You pick your friends on the basis of who and what they are.

Chat Participant: I am only sixteen, and I hope to become an astronaut. In the next several years of school, what can I do to get close as possible to my goal?

Eugene Cernan: Be the best at what you want to be. I suggest at this point in time, not withstanding the changing disciplines that will be involved in space, that you concentrate on the science side of your education. Realize that good things don't come easy! If I can walk on the moon before you were born, there is nothing that you can convince me of that's impossible.

Chat Participant: Mr. Cernan, do you believe there is life in outer space?

Eugene Cernan: I do believe there is life in outer space. Mathematically, there has to be, and if you believe as I do that there is a creator of the universe, then how can we be so arrogant to believe he created life here and nowhere else?

P.S. I wish I could tell you different, but I have never come in contact with any other life out there anywhere.

Chat Participant: Dr. Cernan - should private enterprise be allowed to dominate space exploration and development?

Eugene Cernan: I believe the government should be the tip of the arrow - the high risk element of space exploration. But private industry should very much get involved. Quite frankly, they are more efficient.

Chat Participant: Dr. Cernan: Do you think that building ISS is the best way to go forward with exploration of space, or should the money be spent more towards lunar research?

Eugene Cernan: Building the ISS is not exploration of space, it is exploitation of a place we have already been. It certainly has importance in its own right, but I believe we cannot afford to not be exploring space simultaneously.

Chat Participant: Do you foresee the same types of people and astronauts going to Mars as those that went to the Moon?

Eugene Cernan: Surely. They are our children and our grandchildren. They will have the same aspirations and will be willing to justify the risk, just as we did a generation ago.

Chat Participant: What, to you, is the importance of space flight to the United States, to democracy, and to international relations?

Eugene Cernan: We are the leader of the entire world, both politically and technologically. We only have to look back at Sputnik when that same world looked to the U.S. for an answer. We have an obligation and a responsibility. We are the only nation in the world with the capability and commitment to keep freedom and democracy alive in space.

Chat Participant: May I ask what is your favorite space book and/or movie?

Eugene Cernan: My favorite – "The Last Man on the Moon" by Gene Cernan, due to be released in March. In addition, I did enjoy the movie "Apollo 13" because it was done well and true to life. I can not say the same for "The Right Stuff."

Chat Participant: Dr. Cernan, the President's State of the Union address didn't mention a word about our future in space. Should that be of concern to space enthusiasts like myself?

Eugene Cernan: Space is about the only thing President Clinton did not mention in the State of the Union message. He had something for everybody but those who believe there is a future and a goal in space. Too bad...

Chat Participant: Why do you think that there have not been any other manned missions to the moon? You were the last one before I was even born. What happened?

Eugene Cernan: We are a nation who, when we reach a goal, we look for the next one. It appears that we reached that goal of going to the moon a generation ago. We never had the visionary leader to carry us forward to the next one. Maybe we were not patient enough, but I do believe that our future will change.

Chat Participant: Dr. Cernan: Did you consider Gemini 9 a failed mission, in that you couldn't dock with the Agena vehicle?

Eugene Cernan: Gemini 9 was by no means a failed mission. We had many problems, some of which could have cost us dearly. But, without failure and without learning and without trying again, we'll never succeed. We learned a great deal from Gemini 9, particularly from the EVA, which allowed us to continue on throughout the program successfully. EVA is a space walk, for those who don't know.

Chat Participant: Dr. Cernan, how did you become interested in space and astronautics?

Eugene Cernan: My dream as a kid was to fly airplanes off of aircraft carriers, i.e. Top Gun. At that point in my life, there was no space program. I just wanted to be the best at what I was doing at the time, which in turn opened up an opportunity for me when the space program became a reality.

Chat Participant: Dr. Cernan, it sounds as if you do not fully agree with the decisions being made at NASA, pertaining to future vehicle development and funding?

Eugene Cernan: It is easy to be on the outside looking in when you don't have to be responsible for what you've got to work with. That's the position I find myself in. I am a dreamer...I guess if I can have it my way, we'd be on Mars.

Chat Participant: How much more brighter is the Milky Way from the moon?

Eugene Cernan: The Milky Way is so big and far away that we are still immersed in it, even when on the moon. The stars are much brighter and don't twinkle because you are out of the atmosphere. That is a stark difference.

Chat Participant: What do you think about Russia's decision to keep Mir in orbit for longer than planned? Do you think they are trying to compete with the ISS in a way?

Eugene Cernan: The Russians made a commitment to end the use of Mir, and I would expect them to live up to it. I am sure it is a hard choice for them. However, considering the problems that Mir, itself, has had over the past few years, it may make its own decision. Its usefulness, in my opinion, is limited. It will become more so as the ISS evolves. It will become...sorry.

Chat Participant: What do you think of NASA's use of sending private citizens, e.g., the late Christa McAuliffe, various senators and congressmen, into space for what appears to be publicity stunts? I think that travel into space is still potentially dangerous and should only be done by professionals.

Eugene Cernan: Sending private citizens, such as a teacher and even John Glenn, with a purpose in space, is long overdue. It should be expanded and made available to anyone who can qualify.

Chat Participant: Dr. Cernan, what do you think Dr. Von Braun would think of the U.S. space program today?

Eugene Cernan: Dr. Von Braun was a visionary. It was from his vision, along with other significant people in history, which gave us the impetus to get to the Moon. If he were alive today, I think his thoughts and dreams would be beyond a 300 mile limit.

Chat Participant: How accurate was the HBO series "From the Earth to the Moon" in your view?

Eugene Cernan: I think Tom Hanks and Ron Howard did an excellent job in the series "From the Earth to the Moon." They try to give, not the other side of the picture, but the "additional" pieces of the puzzle that allowed people to travel to the Moon. Much of it was a part of history that no one ever hears or reads about.

I hope my book fills in the gaps where I was directly involved. I have been asked many times about where we should go or will go in the future. I have my personal feelings, many offered here today. The real answer lies in the hearts and minds of those elementary school kids. We need to give them the opportunity and stimulate their interest, so that they can, from our shoulders, reach even further than we did a generation ago.

Chat Participant: Dr. Cernan, what was the greatest discovery of the Apollo 17 mission? Was it the pyroclastic soil? Anything else?

Eugene Cernan: Probably the most surprising discovery on Apollo 17 was the orange soil. Perhaps the two most challenging things on Apollo 17 were the night launch and landing in a valley the likes of the Grand Canyon.

Chat Participant: Did you see the Columbia explode live? Your thoughts on it?

Eugene Cernan: No, I did not see the Challenger explosion live, but everybody who boarded that shuttle knew what they were doing. They understood the risk involved and made the decision to go. I would have done the same thing. I did not see the Apollo 1 fire that almost halted the space program before it began. That crew also knew the risk, decided it was worthwhile and paid the price as well. If it weren't for men and women like those, civilization would never reach the state we find ourselves in today. Which, I think, is pretty darn good.

Chat Participant: Could you comment on the relative value of manned vs. robotic space exploration?

Eugene Cernan: Manned and un-manned space exploration go hand in hand. They have never been at odds with each other. Where we send robots, we will eventually send man. It is our nature to explore. Curiosity is the hallmark of human existence. There has never been a ticker-tape parade for a robot!

I want to thank you all for joining me. Please make sure to check out the Lanacane Itching to Know Science Contest for kids and teachers at http://www.lanacane.com

CNN Moderator: Thank you for joining us today.

Eugene Cernan: Space is a great resource and catalyst for learning. If we get kids interested and excited about something, we can teach them ANYTHING! We have a responsibility to get them the opportunity to do what they are capable of in the future. Let's stimulate their curiosity and sit back and watch what happens in the next 25 years! Somewhere out there is a young boy or girl with the indomitable will and courage to take the dubious honor of being the last man on the Moon off my shoulders. Maybe it's you, your son, your daughter, or one of your grandchildren. God bless and thank you for your attention!