Two flown double-sided cue cards explaining procedures for Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt's first EVA on the lunar surface on Apollo 17, each 10.5 x 8, both signed and flight-certified vertically in the left borders in black felt tip, "Flown to the Lunar Surface aboard Apollo XVII, E. A. Cernan." The cards, dated November 7, 1972, are identified as "EVA 1 PREP" and "POST EVA 1," and were originally taped together to form a folding card, one side with pre-EVA preparations and one side with post-EVA instructions to close out the moonwalk. This first EVA lasted over seven hours, during which Cernan and Schmitt offloaded equipment including the Lunar Roving Vehicle, deployed the ALSEP, and collected samples. The cue cards are impressively matted and framed to an overall size of 16.25 x 27.5, with windows on the back so that both sides can be viewed; the frame is hinged against a matching display that holds Cernan's signed letter of provenance and an image of him posing with the cards.
Cernan's detailed letter, in part: "This is to certify that the accompanying Apollo 17 EVA 1 PREP & POST Cards…were flown to the lunar surface in December of 1972 aboard the lunar module 'Challenger' on the final manned mission to the Moon. These…were both Harrison 'Jack' Schmitt's and my cue cards for preparation, execution and completion of our first EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity or 'Moonwalk') at the Valley of Taurus-Littrow…On one side of each card were the EVA preparations that Jack and I had to perform prior to exiting the LM and performing our first EVA. The other side of the cards included the instructions necessary to close out our first EVA during the last human presence on the Moon. The cue cards are listed in the Lunar Surface Checklist at the beginning and end of our first EVA. The Lunar Surface checklist noted in the EVA 1 PREP section that we were to 'Unstow EVA 1 Prep & Post Cards.' They also had a tab made of scotch tape to allow for easy retrieval during our prep and post EVA chores…This EVA 1 cue card set remains both a historic tool and a rare example of an astronaut flight certified flown artifact from the Apollo era missions."
