David Scott
David Scott | |
---|---|
NASA astronaut | |
Rank | Colonel, USAF |
Time in space | 22d 18h 54m[1] |
Selection | NASA Group 3 (1963) |
Total EVAs | 5 Stand-up EVA on Apollo 9 4 EVAs on Apollo 15 (1st EVA was a stand-up, while 3 EVAs were on the lunar surface) |
Total EVA time | 20h 46m[1] |
Missions | |
Mission insignia | |
Retirement | September 30, 1977[1] |
David Randolph Scott (born June 6, 1932) is an American retired
Before becoming an astronaut, Scott graduated from the
As an astronaut, Scott made his first flight into
After backing up
Early life and education
Scott was born June 6, 1932, at
As it was felt that he needed more discipline than he would receive with his father gone for three years, David was sent to
David Scott was active in the
David Scott wanted an appointment to the
Scott still wanted to fly and wanted to be commissioned in the newly established United States Air Force (USAF).[12] The Air Force Academy was founded in 1954, the year Scott graduated from West Point; an interim arrangement had been made whereby a quarter of West Point and United States Naval Academy graduates could volunteer to be commissioned as Air Force officers.[13] Earning a Bachelor of Science degree in military science,[14] Scott graduated 5th in his class of 633 and was commissioned in the Air Force.[15]
Air Force pilot
Scott did six months of primary pilot training at
From April 1956 to July 1960, Scott flew with the 32d Tactical Fighter Squadron at Soesterberg Air Base, Netherlands, flying F-86 Sabres and F-100 Super Sabres.[16] The weather there was often poor, and Scott's piloting skills were tested.[17] Once, he had to land his plane on a golf course after a flameout. On another, he barely made it to a Dutch base on the edge of the North Sea.[18] Scott served in Europe during the Cold War and tensions were often high between the U.S. and Soviet Union. During the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, his squadron was placed on the highest alert for weeks but was stood down without going into combat.[19]
Scott hoped to advance his career by becoming a test pilot, to be trained at Edwards Air Force Base. He was counseled that the best way to get into test pilot school was to gain a graduate degree in aeronautics. Accordingly, he applied to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was accepted.[20] He received both a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics/Astronautics and the degree of Engineer in Aeronautics/Astronautics (the E.A.A. degree) from MIT in 1962.[21]
After receiving these degrees, Scott was stunned to receive orders from the Air Force to report to the new
Scott reported to the
NASA career
In applying to be part of the third group of astronauts in 1963, Scott intended only a temporary detour from a mainstream military career; he expected to fly in space a couple of times and then return to the Air Force.[24] He was accepted as one of the fourteen Group 3 astronauts later that year.[25]
Scott's initial assignment was as an astronaut representative at MIT supervising the development of the Apollo Guidance Computer. He spent most of 1964 and 1965 in residence in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[26][27] He served as backup CAPCOM during Gemini 4 and as a CAPCOM during Gemini 5.[28]
Gemini 8
After the conclusion of Gemini 5, Director of Flight Crew Operations Deke Slayton informed Scott that he would fly with Neil Armstrong on Gemini 8.[29] This made Scott the first Group 3 astronaut to become a member of a prime crew, and this without having served on a backup crew. Scott was highly regarded by his colleagues for his piloting credentials; another Group 3 astronaut, Michael Collins, wrote later that Scott's selection to fly with Armstrong helped convince him that NASA knew what it was doing.[30]
Scott found Armstrong something of a taskmaster, but the two men greatly respected each other and worked well together.
On March 16, 1966, Armstrong and Scott were launched into space, a flight originally planned to last three days. The
According to Francis French and Colin Burgess in their book on NASA and the Space Race, "Scott, in particular, had shown incredible presence of mind during the unexpected events of the Gemini 8 mission. Even in the middle of an emergency, out of contact with Mission Control, he had thought to reenable ground control command of the Agena before the two vehicles separated."[35] This allowed NASA to check the Agena from the ground, and use it for a subsequent Gemini mission. Scott's competence was recognized by NASA when, five days after the brief flight, he was assigned to an Apollo crew.[36] Along with Armstrong, Scott received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal,[37] and the Air Force awarded him the Distinguished Flying Cross as well. He was also promoted to lieutenant colonel.[38]
Apollo 9
Scott's Apollo assignment was as backup senior pilot/navigator for what would become known as
By January 1967, Scott's crew had been assigned as prime crew for a subsequent Apollo mission and were at Downey on January 27 when a fire took the lives of the Apollo 1 prime crew during a pre-launch test.[40] During the fire, the inward-opening hatch had proved impossible for the astronauts to open, and Scott's post-fire assignment, with all flights put on hold amid a complete review of the Apollo program, was to serve on the team designing a simpler, outward-opening hatch.[41]
After the pause, Scott's crew was assigned to Apollo 8, intended to be an Earth-orbit test of the full Apollo spacecraft, including the Lunar Module (LM).[42] There were delays in the development of the lunar module and in August 1968, NASA official George Low proposed that if Apollo 7 in October went well, Apollo 8 should go to lunar orbit without a Lunar Module, so as not to hold up the program. The Earth-orbit test would become Apollo 9.[43] McDivitt was offered Apollo 8 by Slayton, but turned it down on behalf of his crew (who fully agreed), preferring to wait for Apollo 9, which would involve extensive testing of the spacecraft and was dubbed "a test pilot's dream".[44]
As
The planned February 28, 1969, launch date was postponed as all three astronauts had head colds, and NASA was wary of medical issues in space after problems on Apollo 7 and Apollo 8.[47] The launch took place on March 3, 1969. Within hours of launch, Scott had performed a maneuver essential to the lunar landing by piloting the CSM Gumdrop away from the S-IVB rocket stage, then turned Gumdrop around and docked with the LM Spider still attached to the S-IVB, before the combined spacecraft separated from the rocket.[48]
Schweickart vomited twice on the third day in space, suffering from
The remainder of the mission was devoted to tests of the command module, mostly performed by Scott; Schweickart called these days "Dave Scott's mission"; McDivitt and Schweickart had much time to observe the Earth as Scott worked. The mission stayed in space one orbit longer than planned due to rough seas in the Atlantic Ocean recovery zone.[50] Apollo 9 splashed down on March 13, 1969, less than four nautical miles (7 km) from the helicopter carrier USS Guadalcanal,[16] 180 miles (290 km) east of the Bahamas.[51]
Apollo 15
Scott was deemed to have performed his duties well, and on April 10, 1969, was named backup commander of
Apollo 15 launched from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A on July 26, 1971. The outward flight to the Moon's orbit saw only minor difficulties, and the mission entered lunar orbit without incident.[57] The descent to the Moon by the LM Falcon, with Scott and Irwin aboard, took place on the late afternoon of July 30, with Scott as commander attempting the landing.[58] Despite difficulties caused by the computer-controlled flight path being to the south of what was planned, Scott assumed manual control for the final descent, and successfully landed the Falcon within the designated landing zone.[59]
Man must explore. And this is exploration at its greatest.
— David Scott[60]
After landing, Scott and Irwin donned the helmets and gloves of their pressure suits and Scott performed the first and only stand-up EVA on the lunar surface,
The second traverse, the following day (August 1) was to the slope of
Apollo 15 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean north of Honolulu on August 7, 1971. The first crew to land on the Moon and not be quarantined on return, the astronauts were flown to Houston, and after debriefing, were sent off on the usual circuit of addresses to Congress, celebrations, and foreign trips that met returning Apollo astronauts. Scott regretted the lack of quarantine, which he felt would have given them time to recover from the flight, as the demands on their time were heavy.[64]
Postal covers incident
The crew had arranged with a friend named Horst Eiermann to carry postal covers to the Moon in exchange for about $7,000 for each astronaut.[65] Slayton had issued regulations that personal items taken in spacecraft must be listed for his approval;[66] which was not done for the covers.[67] Scott carried the covers into the CM in his spacesuit; they were transferred to the LM en route to the Moon and landed there with the astronauts.[68] Scott sent 100 of them to Eiermann, and in late 1971, against the astronauts' wishes, the covers were offered for sale by West German stamp dealer Hermann Sieger.[69] The astronauts returned the money,[70] but in April 1972, Slayton learned of the unauthorized covers[71] and had Scott, Worden, and Irwin removed as backup crew members for Apollo 17. The matter became public in June 1972,[72] and the astronauts were reprimanded for poor judgment by NASA and the Air Force the following month.[73][74] The covers that the crew still had were initially impounded by NASA but were in 1983 returned to the astronauts in an out-of-court settlement, as the government felt it could not successfully defend the lawsuit, and that NASA either authorized the covers to be flown or was aware of them.[75]
The press release that announced the reprimands, dated July 11, 1972, stated that the astronauts' "actions will be given due consideration in their selection for future assignment",
NASA management
In his role with Apollo-Soyuz, Scott traveled to
On April 18, 1975, at age 42, Scott became the Center Director at Dryden.[1] This was a civilian appointment, and to accept it, Scott retired from the Air Force in March 1975 with the rank of colonel.[83] Kraft wrote in his memoirs that Scott's appointment "pissed off Deke to his eyebrows".[84] Scott found the work interesting and exciting, but with budget cuts and the forthcoming end of Approach and Landing Tests for the Space Shuttle, in 1977 he decided it was time to leave NASA[85] and retired from the agency on September 30, 1977.[1]
Post-NASA career
Entering the private sector, Scott founded Scott Science and Technology, Inc.
Scott was a commentator for British television on the first Space Shuttle flight (STS-1) in April 1981.[88] He also was a consultant on the film Apollo 13 and for the 1998 HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon,[88] in which he was portrayed by Brett Cullen.[90] Scott consulted on the 3D IMAX film, Magnificent Desolation (2005), showing Apollo astronauts on the Moon, and produced by Tom Hanks and the IMAX Corporation.[88] He is one of the astronauts featured in the 2007 book and documentary In the Shadow of the Moon.[91]
From 2003 to 2004, Scott was a consultant on the
Scott had taken two
Personal life
In 1959 Scott married his first wife, Ann Lurton Ott. They had two children. In 2000, it was reported that he was engaged to British TV presenter Anna Ford; at the time he was still married to Ann Scott, although separated. His relationship with Ford had begun in 1999.[87] By 2001, Scott and Ford had separated.[97] He subsequently married Margaret Black, former vice-chairman of Morgan Stanley.[88] David Scott and Margaret Black-Scott reside in Los Angeles.[88]
Awards, honors, and organizations
Deputy Administrator
Agnew also gave the Apollo 15 crew the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.
Scott, Worden, and Irwin were granted honorary Doctorates of Astronautical Science from the University of Michigan in 1971.[108] Scott was awarded an honorary doctor of science and technology degree from Jacksonville University in 2013. It was the first honorary degree bestowed by the university.[109]
Scott is a fellow of the American Astronautical Society, an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, and Sigma Gamma Tau.[16]
In 1982 Scott was inducted with nine other Gemini astronauts into the
See also
Notes
References
Numbers for Worden/French and for Slayton are Kindle locations.
- ^ a b c d e f g "David R. Scott". New Mexico Museum of Space History. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- ^ Mancini, John (May 26, 2018). "Now just four men who walked on the moon are still alive". Quartz. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, p. 12.
- ^ Furlong, William Barry (February 27, 1969). "Flying is in astronaut's blood". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. World Book Science Service. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Brigadier General Tom W. Scott". United States Air Force. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. 11–14.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. 14–19.
- ^ "Astronauts and the BSA" (PDF). Fact sheet. Boy Scouts of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 22, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. 19–20.
- ^ a b Scott & Leonov, p. 20.
- ^ "Swimmer Dave Scott: 7th human to walk on the Moon". SwimSwam. April 17, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. 20–21.
- ^ Simon, Steven (April 4, 2014). "Celebrating the Air Force Academy's 60th anniversary". Retrieved January 25, 2019.
- ^ Chaikin, p. 605.
- ^ a b Scott & Leonov, p. 26.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Astronaut Bio: David R. Scott (Colonel, USAF, Ret.)" (PDF). NASA JSC. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, p. 28.
- ^ "Man in the news: David Randolph Scott". The New York Times. March 4, 1969. p. 15.(subscription required)
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. 32–34.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. 49–50.
- ^ "To the moon, by way of MIT". Massachusetts Institute of Technology. June 3, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. 63–65.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. 49–50, 69–75.
- ^ a b French & Burgess, p. 79.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. 84–85.
- ^ Scott, David (Fall 1982). "The Apollo Guidance Computer: A user's view" (PDF). The Computer Museum Report. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- Caltech. January 2002. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. 126, 146–147.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, p. 147.
- ^ French & Burgess, pp. 79–80.
- ^ French & Burgess, p. 80.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, p. 154.
- ^ French & Burgess, pp. 83–87.
- ^ "Gemini 8". NASA. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- ^ French & Burgess, pp. 87–88.
- ^ French & Burgess, p. 88.
- ^ "All Historical Awards" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ a b "Serious Problem in Space". The Times Recorder. Zanesville, Ohio. UPI. March 27, 1966. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, p. 183.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, p. 190.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. 193–195.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, p. 208.
- ^ Chaikin, pp. 56–59.
- ^ French & Burgess, pp. 328–329.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. 215–217.
- ^ French & Burgess, pp. 338–339.
- ^ French & Burgess, pp. 340–341.
- ^ French & Burgess, pp. 342–343.
- ^ French & Burgess, pp. 343–352.
- ^ French & Burgess, pp. 352–353.
- ^ French & Burgess, p. 353.
- ^ Worden & French, 1771.
- ^ Slayton, 4232–4246.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. 245–246.
- ^ "Crew of Apollo 13 take last big test". The New York Times. March 27, 1970.(subscription required)
- ^ Chaikin, pp. 399–408.
- ^ a b Woods, W. David (1998). "Apollo 15 Flight Summary". NASA. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
- ^ Chaikin, p. 412.
- ^ Jones, Eric M., ed. (1996). "Landing at Hadley". Apollo 15 Lunar Surface Journal. NASA. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- ^ Jones, Eric M., ed. (1996). "Deploying the Lunar Roving Vehicle". Apollo 15 Lunar Surface Journal. NASA. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
- ^ "Shuttle and Station". Jonathan's Space Report. October 12, 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
- ^ Chaikin, pp. 417–422.
- ^ Chaikin, pp. 437–444.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. 319–321, 325–327.
- ^ Faries, p. 28.
- ^ Fletcher July 27, 1972, letter, p. 3.
- ^ Fletcher July 27, 1972, letter, pp. 1, 7–9.
- ^ August 3, 1972, hearing, pp. 107–109.
- ^ Faries, pp. 28–29.
- ^ August 3, 1972, hearing, p. 77.
- ^ August 3, 1972, hearing, pp. 62–63.
- ^ Faries, p. 29.
- ^ Chaikin, p. 497.
- ^ August 3, 1972, hearing, pp. 75–76.
- ^ "U.S. Returns Stamps to Former Astronauts". The New York Times. July 30, 1983. p. 11.
- ^ "Apollo 15 Stamps" (PDF) (Press release). NASA. July 11, 1972. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 25, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
- ^ Marsh, Al (July 12, 1972). "Astronauts 'Canceled' for 'Stamp Deal'". Today. pp. 12–13.
- ^ "Postmark: The Moon". Newsweek. July 24, 1972. p. 74.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, p. 327.
- ^ August 3, 1972, hearing, pp. 158–160.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. title page, 335–336.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. 347–349.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, p. 350.
- ^ Kraft, p. 344.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, p. 380.
- ^ Scott & Leonov, pp. 381–383.
- ^ a b c Boshoff, Alison (May 20, 2000). "Tarnished man from the moon to marry TV's Anna". Irish Independent. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Dave Scott – Astronaut Scholarship Foundation". Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ "Astronaut David Scott ordered to pay $400,000 in fraud case". The Toronto Star. December 30, 1992. p. C8. Retrieved April 26, 2019.(subscription required)
- ^ James, Caryn (April 3, 1998). "Television review; Boyish eyes on the Moon". The New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (September 7, 2007). "When the Moon was a matter of pride". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- ^ "Space School – Turning actors into astronauts" (PDF). BBC. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- ^ August 3, 1972, hearing, p. 124.
- ^ Dinzeo, Maria (April 4, 2018). "Astronaut's case over Bulova ads cleared for liftoff". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- ^ "Scott v. Citizen Watch Company of America". leagle.com. August 20, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- ^ Sullivan, Nick (August 3, 2021). "Bulova's Limited-Edition Lunar Pilot Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the 'Other' Moon Watch". Esquire.
- ^ Davies, Hugh; Rozenberg, Joshua (July 21, 2001). "Anna Ford's affair with ex-astronaut burns out". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ "List of NASA award recipients" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ a b c "David Randolph Scott". The Hall of Valor Project. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- ^ "Apollo 9 Crew Gets Awards". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. Associated Press. March 27, 1969. p. 14A – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Crew of Apollo 15 to get Space Medal". Springfield Leader and Press. Springfield, Missouri. Associated Press. December 8, 1971. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wolfe, Sheila (September 16, 1971). "200,000 Welcome Astronauts Here". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Thousands Welcome Astronauts in NY". The News. Paterson, New Jersey. UPI. August 25, 1971. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Peace Medal Issued By United Nations". Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal. December 26, 1971. p. 9C. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- ^ "Wild Blue Yonder Song Really Was". The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. Associated Press. September 24, 1971. p. 39 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Haugland, Vern (March 22, 1972). "Apollo 15 astronauts, Gilruth to be honored". El Dorado Times. El Dorado, Arkansas. Associated Press. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "FAI Awards". Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. October 10, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- ^ Nawyn, Bert (December 29, 1971). "The World of Stamps". The News. Paterson, New Jersey. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Astronaut David Scott, one of 12 to walk on moon, inspires students at Aviation luncheon". The Wave. Jacksonville University. January 30, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ Shay, Erin (October 3, 1982). "Astronauts Laud Gemini as Precursor to Shuttle". Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Men Made History during Two Year Project". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. March 14, 1993. p. 9E – via Newspapers.com.
Sources
- ISBN 978-0-14-024146-4.
- Faries, Belmont (September 1983). "NASA Returns Moon Covers to the Apollo 15 Astronauts". Society of Philatelic Americans Journal: 27–32. OCLC 815667765.
- Fletcher, James C. (July 27, 1972). "Letter from James C. Fletcher to Clinton P. Anderson". (exhibit to August 3, 1972, committee hearing).(subscription required)
- ISBN 978-0-8032-2979-2.
- ISBN 978-0-525-94571-0.
- Scott, David; ISBN 978-0-312-30866-7.
- ISBN 978-1-466-80214-8.
- United States Senate Committee on Aeronautics and Space Sciences (August 3, 1972). "Commercialization of Items Carried by Astronauts". United States Senate.(subscription required)
- ISBN 978-1-58834-310-9.