Last Man On The Moon

I'm currently reading Gene Cernan's autobiography, called The Last Man On The Moon. Gene commanded Apollo 17 and was the last man (thus far, anyway) to walk on the moon. I've seen a fair piece of Gene in interviews and TV shows since, and I've always been favorably impressed by his inherently interesting nature, his good humor, and his accessibility.

His book is no different. It is an amusing read, full of interesting asides and amusing little stories that give his story a certain human interest. But he's not above basking in the triumph of what he and his associates accomplished, and who could possibly gainsay him that either?

But there is something in the book that took me somewhat by surprise. A great many astronaut biographies tend to "circle the wagons" by carefully hiding (or, I imagine, flatly lying about) questions about the relative fitness of various astronauts. Nobody ever seems to go out on a limb and say "So-and-so was a real bastard, and a crappy pilot too."

But Gene does. He is fairly candid in his comments about other astronauts, and one thing that comes through with special emphasis is an open disdain for Buzz Aldrin. Gene doesn't call Buzz "goofy", a word he reserved for Ed Mitchell, but he doesn't have any respect for Buzz either, whom he seems to regard as unqualified, unbalanced and lacking in discernment.

I happen to feel for Buzz. He went through a great deal of difficulty that he didn't really deserve, and I tend to cut the man slack. But then again, I never had to fly into space with him either...