The Library & Archives has a signed copy of astronaut Euguene (Gene) Cernan’s book, The Last Man on the Moon.  

The Library’s book is hardcover with a protected dustjacket. Although the book itself is not necessarily remarkable in its rarity or accessibility, our copy is a rare signed edition. It is a First St. Martin’s Griffin Edition, published July 2000. The cover design features a composite image of Gene on the lunar roving vehicle with the waning Earth in the background, and a close up of Gene in his space suit.  

In this biography, Gene Cernan and Don Davis tell the story of a career astronaut with insatiable ambitions and a drive to excel beyond his contemporaries. This book illustrates that in some ways Cernan’s accomplishments certainly did exceed his contemporaries, as Apollo 17 set many records, but the book also- if inadvertently- emphasizes Cernan’s likeness to his colleagues. 

In summary, the narrative recounts Cernan’s early life, his time in the Gemini and Apollo programs, how fame was taxing for himself and his family, and the unconventionality of an astronaut’s work/life balance. Cernan makes the life of an astronaut at the height of the space race out to be somehow both enthralling and mundane in this reflection. He embraces the day-to-day earthly routine of fatherhood, but also relishes in the celebrity and fanfare of his position. Overall, the book is a fairly balanced composition of personal and professional life events. He candidly makes his opinion of his fellow astronauts apparent.  

An incredibly detailed recount of his spacewalk during the Gemini 9 mission is included, rightfully titled “The Spacewalk from Hell”, and is one of the most enthralling passages:  

"I felt as if I was wrestling an octopus. The umbilical cavorted with a life of its own, twirling like a ribbon, trying to trap me like a cord winding around a window shade. ‘Boy, that snake is really running around up here,’ I said. I was looping crazily around the spacecraft, ass over teakettle, as if slipping in puddles of space oil, with no control over the direction, position, or movement of my body, and all the while the umbilical was trying to lasso me. I wasn’t lost in space, but I was absolutely helpless. Without a stabilizing device, I had no control over the umbilical, and it pretty much did whatever it wanted. ‘I can’t get to where I want to go,’ I told Tom [Stafford] in exasperation. ‘The snake is all over me.” …  

As for his critical role in the Apollo 17 mission, Cernan set his goal not just go to the moon, but to pilot the mission better than any other, lead the crew, AND walk on the moon. Cernan makes himself out to have a caliber of ambition beyond other astronauts of his time, factual or not.  

Apollo 17 commander Eugene A. Cernan waves to NASA Tours bus passengers from Lunar Rover trainer.

The Last Man on the Moon is a necessary part of our Library collection scope among astronaut biographies, autographed books, the Gemini and Apollo missions, and general history of the space race.  

Gene Cernan was inducted into the San Diego Air & Space Museum’s International Air & Space Hall of Fame in 2007. His portrait is located in the Space Gallery. Take a look at our Flickr site for quite a few more images of Cernan, the Apollo 17 mission, and much more! 

Autographed copies of this book are for sale on our eBay for Charity store. We are also selling several other books autographed by astronauts involved in the Gemini, Apollo, and Mercury missions, including Scott Carpenter, Ed Buckbee, and Tom Stafford.