Eugene Shoemaker: The astrogeologist whose ashes rest on the Moon

American astrogeologist Eugene Shoemaker remains the only person to have a portion of his ashes placed on the Moon. Although he was a pioneer in the field of astrogeology and played a vital role in preparing Apollo astronauts for lunar exploration, health issues prevented him from ever traveling to space himself.

Shoemaker was instrumental in mapping the lunar surface and training astronauts at Meteor Crater in Arizona to identify geological formations and select samples. Alongside his wife, Carolyn Shoemaker, and astronomer David Levy, he co-discovered the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, which famously collided with Jupiter in 1994, providing scientists with a rare direct observation of a collision between major celestial bodies.