Product Description

Eugene Cernan is a unique American who came of age as an astronaut during the most exciting and dangerous decade of spaceflight.His career spanned the entire Gemini and Apollo programs, from being the first person to spacewalk all the way around our world to the moment when he left man's last footprint on the Moon as commander of Apollo 17.Between those two historic events lay more adventures than an ordinary person could imagine as Cernan repeatedly put his life, his family and everything he held dear on the altar of an obsessive desire.Written with New York Times bestselling author Don Davis, this is the astronaut story never before told - about the fear, love and sacrifice demanded of the few men who dared to reach beyond the heavens for the biggest prize of all - the Moon.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #128291 in Books
• Published on: 1999-03-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

Amazon.com Review
That "Geno" Cernan was commander of Apollo 17, the final manned moon mission, was a fitting conclusion to a flying career that included two previous stints in space (Gemini 9 and Apollo 10). His frank, earthy memoir of his years at NASA adds another entertaining, informative volume to the burgeoning shelf of books illuminating the inner workings of the space program and the people who made it happen. Coauthor Don Davis, a veteran journalist, helps Cernan craft a colloquial prose style that nicely captures the competitive, macho personality that seemed virtually mandatory for astronauts in the 1960s and '70s. Cernan candidly depicts the reckless streak that twice led to needless injuries jeopardizing his spot on a mission. He also acknowledges the stresses endured by his ex-spouse Barbara as she struggled to be the perfect astronaut wife--cheerful and uncomplaining for the cameras while he experienced all the fun and adventure of the job. And it sure was fun, as becomes clear in the exciting descriptions of his spacewalk from Gemini 9 and stroll around the moon from Apollo 17. Detailed accounts of each flight, including technical problems and personal tensions (particularly with Apollo 17 teammate Jack Schmitt, distrusted because he was a scientist, not a test pilot), remind readers that the space program is a human endeavor, with inevitable failures that make the triumphs that much sweeter. --Wendy Smith

From Publishers Weekly
Gemini and Apollo astronaut Cernan, helped by Davis (A Father's Rage, etc.), takes readers with him on one great space adventure after anotherAincluding Gemini 9's "Spacewalk from Hell," Apollo 1's fire, Snoopy's hair-raising swoop by the lunar surface. Readers experience the agony of life-or-death decision making in the Apollo 13 control room, exult with Cernan and geologist Jack Schmitt throughout the mission of Apollo 17 and meet legendary characters of the astronaut corps and the technical and political leaders who shared their glory. Cernan reveals the risk-taking, competitive personality and oversized self-confidence that drove his success as a test pilot and astronaut. He also acknowledges his failings as a husband to his first wife, Barbara, whom he presents as a quiet, strong homefront heroine who always found the right words in public despite her private difficulties. However, careful readers may see more of Cernan than he intended to display. His admiration and friendship may justify letting Wernher von Braun and Spiro Agnew off the hook for what many consider their political and personal misdeeds, but his unforgiving view of Buzz Aldrin seems to stem from personal animus. Why must the last man on the moon demean the second? ("[Aldrin] came flapping into my office at the Manned Spacecraft Center one day like an angry stork..."). Despite the bad taste of Cernan's words about Aldrin, this is an exciting, insider's take on what it was like to become one of the first humans in space. 16 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW. Agent, Jane Dystel. Author tour.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher
"Gene Cernan chronicles his involvement in man's reach for the Moon with an intensity that matches the incredible excitement of that remarkable time." --Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the Moon

"Gene Cernan's wild ride into history included a tortuous spacewalk devised,it seems, by Dante...with enough sacrifices and close calls to fill a lifetime." --Tom Hanks, star of Apollo 13 and producer of the HBO series From the Earth to the Moon

"Gene Cernan's The Last Man on the Moon rumbled off the launchpad and propelled me into a world of hope and triumph over tragedy. It's a high-powered read I won't soon forget." --Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

"With the feel of a story recalled among friends, this is an appealingly down-to-earth account from the last man to walk on the Moon. No advanced physics, no scientific mumbo jumbo, just a thoroughly engrossing recollection of Cernan's crucial role in the conquest of space. I loved the book." --Ron Howard, director of Apollo 13

"Gene Cernan shares the extra dimension beyond the usual who, what, when, where, and how of space flight. For those who would like to go and can't, this is a look into the real experience and feelings of space flight." --Senator John Glenn, first American to fly in orbit

"Gene Cernan has written a whale of a personal space tale, filled with firsts, lasts, and many thrills in between. This is a super story of the emotional highs and lows of our U.S. astronauts and their families when the supreme challenge was to reach the Moon and return alive. I promise you will not be able to put it down." --Donald D. Engen, director of the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Customer Reviews

Charming page-turner with philosophical undertones
Selected with the third group of American astronauts in 1963, Eugene Cernan "walked" in space as the pilot of Gemini 9, went around the Moon on Apollo 10, then returned there as the Commander of Apollo 17, the last lunar landing mission. A successful and interesting career even for astronaut standards. His autobiography, "The Last Man on the Moon", offers a personal account of those glory days of space exploration.

Throughout the book, Cernan portrays himself as a competitive workaholic, and it shows: there are a few introductory chapters on Gene's childhood and career as a naval aviator, and a brief afterthought on life after NASA, but the bulk of "Last Man" is about the space program, the space program, and the space program. Training and mission planning, the mechanics of crew selection, descriptions of his colleagues and anecdotes about their extracurricular activities, it's all there. The flights themselves are recounted in vivid detail, including a nauseatingly dangerous EVA on Gemini 9 and geology trips through the lunar valley of Taurus-Littrow. Overall, as Cernan later reflects, it feels "as if I was getting off one fast-moving express train only to immediately board another", and describes well the hectic and busy pace of the Moon race.

Underlying it all, and well in evidence, is the aggressive "right stuff" attitude usually found with this elite of pilots. It's easy to mistake Gene's self-confidence for arrogance, but he also displays plenty of humour and self-ironic jabs. Cernan was one of the more personable and gregarious astronauts, who clearly enjoyed the social perks that came with the job, and it's this mixture of cocky determination and laid-back charm that make his autobiography a gripping read. Indeed, "Last Man" is a page-turner in the real sense of the word. Particularly enlightening is the episode that saw Geno decline a LM pilot seat on Apollo 16, a gamble that paid off and in the end brought him command of his own mission. So is his relationship with geologist-astronaut Jack Schmitt, whom Cernan only grudgingly accepted on his crew. After some initial macho reservations against the "pebble-pusher", he learned to respect Schmitt as a tireless worker and supremely gifted individual who helped make Apollo 17 the most well rounded team of all. In between, with the lunar module on Apollo 10 spinning out of control for a moment, or a helicopter crash in training, there are enough close calls for several lifetimes.

The human qualities of the book show when Gene talks about his wife, Barbara, and the ordeals she had to go through, with an often absent husband in a dangerous job, while always displaying the brave "Mrs. Astronaut" to the public world. Ultimately, this ordeal led to the disintegration of Cernan's first marriage, and he speaks with a heightened sense of value about his family of today and his grandchildren. Such a sense of deep appreciation and philosophical reflection also shines through when Gene recounts his awe as one of only twelve humans to ever set foot on the Moon, "looking up at the cobalt Earth immersed in infinite blackness", and how the unique experience might have changed him. These are moments that he clearly treasures deeply, that left him with a restless yearning forever after. Cernan seems sad, not selfish, thinking that the accomplishments of the ten years of Apollo would probably take twice as long today, in a much more cautious and conservative age of spacefaring. And he expresses a sense of guilt at feeling unable to truly share what he saw in space with the rest of the world.

Geno needn't have worried there, for "The Last Man on the Moon" is a fabulous book. Well-written and informative, it leaves little to be desired. Perhaps, given the awe-inspiring nature of the subject, some chapters fly by just a tad too quickly, and one could have wished for a little more detail here, or a little deeper thought there. Overall, though, there are few better astronaut biographies. The page-turner qualities, Cernan's unique perspective (here is one of the three guys who went to the Moon twice!) and a subtle, but strong sense of philosophical reflection make for a very worthwhile read, not only for space enthusiasts.

Australian moonshine on the last man!
I loved the book! I have had it for ten months and must have read it five times. I was just a young Australian schoolboy when Geno went around the moon with Apollo 10 and yet I remember that flight, and especially the one that followed, as if it was yesterday. Like others, I love the book's personal touch. Gone is the techno fuzz typical of so many books on the space age. Geno tells it like it was: pride, glory, pain, sadness, fun, love, tragedy. The only disappointment - and a small one - is that I wanted to know more. More about him, more about his family, more about 1972-1998, a period that passes in the book like a stolen second. Americans should feel proud of what Geno and his colleagues did. The moon landing (along with the U.S.'s involvement in World War II) was perhaps America's greatest hour. Geno I hope you read this, I hope life gives us an opportunity to meet Down-under sometime.

Who needs Buzz Lightyear for a hero. I had Gene Cernan.

The Last Man on the Moon Writes About His Experience
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