The Last Man on the Moon: Astronaut Eugene Cernan and America's Race in Space

Eugene Cernan was the last man to walk on the moon. When he stepped back into his spacecraft, Apollo 17, in December of 1972, another human would not venture to the moon, much less feel its surface for the remainder of the 20th century, and most likely well into the 21st century.

Cernan tells the story of how he became an astronaut, his three fights into space, and finally his culminating achievement - his 3-day stay on the surface of the moon. It is an intriguing story, which gives insights into the many perils of space exploration, the stringent qualifications and training of the astronauts, the tremendous personal and professional sacrifices made, and finally the unique toughts and feelings of one who has actually cavorted and explored the moon's alien surface. As an amateur sky-watcher, I already had a keen interest in space travel and moon exploration, but I think anyone with even a passing interest in space or science would find this book interesting and a good read.

I learned some things from Cernan's book. I was surprised at the amount of in-fighting that went on between the astronauts in regards to their pecking order for spaceflights, and the clashing of their (well-deserved) egos. I also learned about the many close-calls that several space flights experienced that were buried by NASA and were never made public. I also appreciated the conflicts and tension that being an astronaut had on one's marriage. Cernan and many other astronauts suffered through the sorrows of divorce because of the immense time away, and training that NASA expected of their heros.

While not a gripping page-turner, this book is still an entertaining and informational book about NASA and our race to get to the moon before the Russians. The reader will gain personal insights into the people inside of the space suits, and will get to experience first-hand the experience of walking on the moon. Recommended.

Jim "Konedog" Koenig

You may think you've learned everything about the 12 men who walked on the moon, but Gene Cernan's perspective and insights are a great read. 50 years after the clean cut image days, we see the drive to excel. There are candid remarks about not all the astronauts being the best of pals, great anecdotes and, in spite of Cernan wishing he were a poet to better share his experiences with all those taxpayers and engineers and technicians who put him on the moon, he gets the point across that the experience was beyond comprehension and articulation. I've read much on lunar geology by Dr Rock of UW Madison (aka Harrison Schmidt), but these human glimpses were priceless. Cernan is strong and opinionated, but gracious in sharing his beliefs and thoughts with us earthbound folk. He makes me wish people still had the drive to explore and to push themselves beyond the mundane.

Gene Cernan is one of America's most experienced and successful astronauts. His three missions were among the most ambitious, successful and exciting of all time. He spent more time, along with partner Harrison Schmitt, than any other man walking on the moon. It was, therefore, with great disappointment that I read this book. What I expect from a book by an astronaut is to really feel and understand what the unique experiences they went through were like and what challenges-physical, mental and technical they overcame. With the notable exception of Mike Collins' autobiography almost none of the astronauts books really provide this. Only 12 men have ever stood on the moon and yet they have not really conveyed what this and other aspects of spaceflight were like in their autobiographies. He dismisses his epic Apollo 17 flight in a few pages and spends more time talking about the politics of crew selection, giving crude descriptions of his wife's figure and other trivia. Also there is a lack of illustrations showing the alien environment he explored so well. Most of the astronauts who wrote autobiographies felt they had to talk down to their audience to make the book attractive to the average reader, thus leaving out much technical information that is actually quite interesting, even for the non-technically-minded layman. The popularity of the film "Apollo 13" and the television series "From the Earth to the Moon" in which technical matters were not shied away from proves this is not true. The fact is the true intelligence and abilities of these men is measured in what they did on their space missions, not as golfers or in planning practical jokes or in celebrity namedropping. In a more positive light, he reveals for the first time the real dangers the Gemini spacewalks entailed and gives a good description of the problems Ed White encountered in Gemini 4 and his own nightmarish experience in Gemini 9.

Gene Cernan's memoir is among the first rank of space program books. What sets this work apart is the focus on intensely personal matters. Cernan highlights the competition for flights, with sharp comments about his colleagues and rivals. Many other astronauts get high praise, with notable exceptions, such as Buzz Aldrin. Some reviewers didn't appreciate the personal comments, whereas I felt they made the book more interesting.

There's a distinction between perhaps not liking a guy for what he says and the quality and flow of the writing, which I consider excellent. Often, it's as if Cernan were right there chatting. Even in showing some ego, Mr. Cernan also made no bones about being relatively lucky. He covers the surprise invitation to try out for the program and his surprising acceptance against stiff competition. He also admits he was in the middle of the pack in his group, and on the edge of getting a flight. If not for the deaths of Elliott See and Charlie Bassett, Cernan might be unknown. The candor is refreshing. Well, except for maybe the name dropping about big shots and Hollywood stars.

Even more surprising is the frank discussion of his marriage to Barbara, which eventually failed. I can't help but wonder what she thought of her presentation, ranging from the attractive partner to the highly skilled "astronaut wife" and on to the crushing side of being the dutiful wife. Cernan does not spare himself from blame by any means. The quote of the book may well be Barbara's: someone asked, "How do you feel about Gene going to the Moon?" She answered instantly. "If you think going to the Moon is hard, try staying home."

Cernan gives more coverage of Gemini than the typical book, with again quite a bit on speculation about crew rotations, and a strong segment on Gemini 9 and his near-fatal spacewalk. Another highlight is the opening chapter on Apollo 1 and the fire, of profound significance to Cernan as a member of the backup crew and friend and neighbor of Roger Chaffee. His pain was still there thirty years later.

Apollo 10's coverage has just the right feel, with Cernan possibly still shaking his head in recalling their near crash, "a fifteen-second lifetime during which we made about eight cartwheels above the Moon, and Tom jerked Snoopy back onto a tight leash. Ole Mumbles do know how to fly. After analyzing the data, experts surmised that we had continued spinning for only two more seconds, Tom and I would have crashed." That text again reflects the attractive conversational style.

Apollo 17 probably gets fewer pages than some readers may wish. The play-by-play of the EVAs is fairly brief, which may just as well be left to the non-memoir books. Cernan tries to spend more time on his feelings, the interactions with Schmitt, and some key moments, such as the orange soil and the broken fender.

Readers should also watch part 12 of "From the Earth to the Moon" for its segment on Apollo 17. My copy of the memoirs is signed by Cernan, Stafford, and co-author Don Davis. It's an excellent book, even unsigned!

It is sad to me that a man of Mr. Cernan's age seems not to have matured to the point where he doesn't feel the need to use a swear word in every other sentence to sound macho. It really ruined the reading experience, and despite his going to the moon, I came away feeling he was diminished by his own book. The guy seems too immature for "hero" status.

Another excellent Astronaut book. Eugene Cernan and Don Davis wrote a great book.

We see Gene's happy early childhood. Gene is a good student and with financial difficulty gets to go to college and goes in the Navy and becomes a Naval Aviator. He eventually gets his wings of gold and is carrier landing qualified. He is so grateful for the financial help from his parents to go to college. Gene's father is so proud of Gene's accomplishments but passes away before Gene walks on the moon.

He marries his sweetheart Barbara and they raise a fine family. Barbara was Gene's rock and put up with many lonely nights and stuck with him and supported his intense lifestyle a long time. Later after Gene retires and still does not spend much time at home Barbara has enough and they divorce. Later Gene meets Jan who will be his second wife and they have kids. They live on a 400 acre ranch and raise cattle and horses and enjoy life with the grand kids.

I've read almost all the astronaut books. Very little is said about the astronaut Roger Chaffee who never got a space shot and was killed with Gus Grissom and Ed White with the Apollo 1 fire. In The Last Man On The Moon we learn a little more about Roger Chaffee who was Cernan's friend and neighbor.

Gene gets into NASA and has a stellar career with a Gemini flight and the second US spacewalk. We learn that working in space is extremely difficult and if not done properly with rest and hand holds/footholds for leverage much exertion is used. No one knew what to expect and poor Gene had to fight a unwieldy umbilical life line/snake. Too much exertion, bulky spacesuit and fogging visor so he could barley see and he didn't even get to try the Air Force multimillion dollar jet pack and had to dump it. Valuable lessons learned and information for Buzz Aldrin to do a better spacewalk next time. Gene also goes around the moon and tests the LM with Tom Stafford and gets very close to the moon.Gene was also the back up commander for Alan Shepard's Apollo 14 flight and eventually becomes friends with the Ice Commander. Later on Apollo 17 he is the commander and does land on the moon with the scientist/LM pilot Jack Schmitt (Dr. Rock) with CM pilot Evans orbiting the moon.

They actually had a small nuclear power device with them and the moon rover.( The nuclear device is extremely interesting. Read about DR. Zuberin's Mars Direct approach to get to Mars 5 stars and using a nuclear reactor on Mars) So many experiments and rock samples taken by Gene and Jack. A hugely successful mission. Gene writes his daughters initials in the moon dust( where it will last for centuries) and tells her he is going to bring home a moonbeam for her. He names a crater for his wife, one for his daughter and one for his father. Gene really loved his family.

We see some of Gene's mistakes like crashing a helicopter he was joy riding too close to the water looking at bikini girls. Gene almost gets killed ( drowned and burned alive). A narrow escape. At least Gene was honest with Deke the head astronaut ( who wanted to cover Gene with a failed engine story) and tells him he screwed up. All is forgiven and he still gets to go up. Also a few weeks before his Apollo 17 moon landing shot Gene pulls a ligament playing softball and almost loses his chance to walk on the moon. Luckily the flight surgeon secretly helps Gene with ligament rehab and a prostate problem Gene had.

Gene retires as a Navy Captain as he didn't want a desk job/Rear Admiral position and he was too senior to be a captain of an aircraft carrier. He also retires from NASA as he didn't want to get involved with the shuttle program.

Gene tells us it was a shame that we didn't go back to the moon and eventually go to Mars but eventually we must and will. Its in the human spirit to explore. He hopes someday some of the young students in classrooms that he talks to will grow up and be astronauts to the Moon and Mars.

I wont ruin the wonderful ending of this great book. Ill just say Gene is holding his grand daughter and both are commenting about the moon and there is a wonderful ending. Read it to find out.This was a very enjoyable book and Don Davis is to be commended telling Eugene Cernan's story and showing us Gene as a real human being with strengths, faults and weaknesses like we all have. Eugene Cernan a real American space hero.

There really isn't that much profanity, but the amount there, especially the big words, surprised me, given the context. Before writing me off as a goodie, let me explain. I found out about this book at Johnson Space Center during a week promoted for schools to visit. Eugene Cernan himself was speaking to a group of elementary school children about his adventures, and of course we were made aware of the book. I never heard of Eugene Cernan, but I appreciated the time he took to visit with my children and their friends, so I bought an autographed copy. I quickly noticed the ego, though he seems to know that himself, and figured maybe that's what it takes to risk your life in space or military aircraft. Soon enough I ran into a few words here and there, which seemed to increase as the book went on. I can understand a quote here and there about what happened in real life, but he seemed to enjoy his language. I can even understand that, but what bothered me is that I was introduced to him as a retired space hero, talking to my children, and regularly in the book he refers to his religious beliefs, and even calls himself an apostle of some sort, to guide the youth to the heavens (space). Sometimes he came across as inspirational, solemn, and pious, and other times as a crude man. After explaining the amount of trouble he got into for swearing in space, his language in the book seemed to intensify, as if to say "Take that!", even after all these years. This could have been a better book, and Eugene Cernan a better role model, with less basic language.

I did enjoy the read. To be fair to the title, it is about the last man on the moon, not just the last lunar mission, so we read about growing up and moving through the ranks to get to where he is. I have a better understanding of what it took to get there, and a better appreciation for the scientists, engineers, and astronauts for the amazing accomplishments. I suspect that this is a reasonably accurate overview of the struggles, politics, egos, and danger of space travel. And I still appreciate that Mr. Cernan took the time to speak to a bunch of school children.

When I started to read The Last Man on the Moon I wondered: What did it feel like to walk in space and on the moon? I got more than I bargained for. I enjoyed one of the greatest true adventures of all times when Cernan removed the shackles of the earth and took me to places where few have gone.

Cernan's book is exceptional at describing what it felt like to be an astronaut in the 1960s and what it was like to walk in space and on the moon.

One of the parts I could relate to best was his descriptions of a space walk during a Gemini mission and his moon walks. His descriptions of a pressurized suit that was tough to move and navigate in were amazing. As a diver who has been to places such as the Galapagos islands (with cold waters) I know what its like to have a life support system and bulky suit. Cernan's descriptions helped me understand (just a little) what it is like to walk in space and on the moon.

There were many close calls in the space programs that were truly nail biters. For example, during the Apollo 10 mission Gene Cernan discusses Tom Stafford and himself spinning out of control while just above the moon. The countless hours of training and razor sharp skills of the astronauts saved them. Stafford pulled them out at the last couple of seconds just before they would have crashed into the moon.

There were also stories of tragedies such as the loss of the three men in the fire of Apollo 1. Everyone on the space program was deeply saddened. Afterwards everyone's resolve to go to the moon safely reached a new level of commitment.

The book is definitely a page turner with many amusing antidotes. One story that sticks out in my mind is when Cernan explains that the early astronauts were like rock stars (they could do almost anything they wanted to). For example, they would let there wives know they were coming home in the evening by flying right over their homes with their jets before landing at a local base (a true flyby). Then they would jump into their Corvettes and drive like a bats out of h**l to their homes screeching into the driveways. This is stuff that legends are made of.

Cernan writing style is engaging and fascinating. He is both a strong Critical Thinker and philosopher rolled into one.

For example, in one telling excerpt he discusses the importance of going to the moon as a commander, not just walking on it. His thoughts are summed up when he says: "I have always believed that destiny is a matter of personal choice, where you carefully think out your decision, consider the downside, accept the risk of being wrong, and press on."

Cernan eloquently writes about his passion for space travel when he says: "Our legacy is that humans are no longer shackled to the Earth. We opened the door to tomorrow, and our trips to another celestial body will rank as the ultimate triumph in the Age of Achievement. And for the price, it was the biggest bargain in history."

He goes on to say: "Sometimes it seems that Apollo came before its time. President Kennedy reached far into the twenty-first century, grabbed a decade of time and slipped it neatly into the 1960's and 1970s."

I have been fortunate to meet Gene Cernan on a few occasions at Astronaut gatherings in the past couple of years. He is one of the greatest advocates for the space program and is a gentleman and a scholar. He still has a bounce in his step and a twinkle in his eye...and I wouldn't be surprised if he has a little mischief in him as well.

Once at a dinner I was sitting at Cernan's table and someone asked him whether seeing the moon was different from earth orbit or from the moon.

Gene Cernan got very quiet and thoughtful and said that it was entirely different. He went on to say that from orbit the earth is beautiful with its blue oceans, majestic large land masses and more. Then he paused and got very serious. He said from the moon the view of the earth was unbelievable. He went on to say that seeing this little blue ball that hung in black space by an invisible string (axis) that it turned on was unbelievable. You could see in his eyes that he had a life changing experience when he saw it from the front porch of the moon many years ago.

There are several excellent books on the early space program. The Last Man on the Moon is one of the best of the best.

[[ASIN:0595437087 The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking]]

I do not understand how Cernan was even selected for the astronaut program. He was not a test pilot and he was still in graduate school when selected. Technically he never finished his master's degree. However, he said that the third year was option. So maybe I am being nitpicky. He was selected over several test pilots, like Vance Brand, who was later selected in the fifth astronaut group.
Given that he was selected, it is even more surprising that he was assigned to the backup crew of Gemini 9. He was picked over three test pilots in his group. He was also picked over Buzz Aldrin, who was the most experienced non-test pilot of the third group. What makes this even more surprising is that Cernan was the third youngest in his group.
The prime crew of Gemini was killed in a plane crash, so Stafford and Cernan got the mission. Stafford like Cernan and thus, they flew together again on Apollo 10. After Apollo 10, Cernan was offered the job of being the backup lunar module pilot for Apollo 13. This would have put him in line to be the prime lunar module pilot for Apollo 16, but Cernan turned it down. He wanted to command a mission. Because Michael Collins turned down the job of being the backup commander of Apollo 14, Cernan was given the job. On January 23, 1971, Cernan crashed a helicopter in the Indian river. By his own admission, it was his fault. However, he was still given command of Apollo 17. The crew for Apollo 17 should have been Richard Gordon, Vance Brand, and Harrison Schmitt. Cernan was a complete ass. So was Deke Slayton for giving him his assignments and even for selecting him as an astronaut in the fisrt place.

Great first hand account from a breed of astronaut who wasn't afraid to let an occasional cuss fly (for strategic effect--not for the sake of being profane) and tell it like it was/is. You'd think the book would center around the Apollo 17 mission and Gene's last footsteps on the moon (or at least I did), but it does not. That's certainly part of the book, but the majority of it is setting the scene and detailing the many events that set Gene's trajectory for commanding Apollo 17.

All current and future astronauts should read this book as well as Mike Mullane's "Riding Rockets" book. If not for anything else, but to be unafraid to be human and give us commoners a true hero to look up to--not the watered down, politically correct, perfectly groomed specimens that they must be in today's astronaut corps.