Harrison Schmitt
Harrison Schmitt | |
---|---|
United States Senator from New Mexico | |
In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1983 | |
Preceded by | Joseph Montoya |
Succeeded by | Jeff Bingaman |
Personal details | |
Born | Harrison Hagan Schmitt July 3, 1935 NASA astronaut |
Time in space | 12d 13h 52m |
Selection | NASA Group 4 (1965) |
Total EVAs | 3 on the lunar surface[1] |
Total EVA time | 20h 35m[2] |
Missions | Apollo 17 |
Mission insignia | |
Retirement | August 30, 1975 |
Scientific career | |
Fields | University of Wisconsin, Madison |
Thesis | Petrology and Structure of the Eiksundsdal Eclogite Complex, Hareidland, Sunnmøre, Norway (1964) |
Harrison Hagan "Jack" Schmitt (born July 3, 1935) is an American
In December 1972, as one of the crew on board
Schmitt resigned from NASA in August 1975 to run for election to the United States Senate as a member from New Mexico. As the Republican candidate in the 1976 election, he defeated Democratic incumbent Joseph Montoya. In the 1982 election, Schmitt was defeated by Democrat Jeff Bingaman.
Biography
Early life and education
Born July 3, 1935,[5] in Santa Rita, New Mexico, Schmitt grew up in nearby Silver City,[6] and is a graduate of the Western High School (class of 1953). He received a B.S. degree in geology from the California Institute of Technology in 1957[7] and then spent a year studying geology at the University of Oslo in Norway, as a Fulbright Scholar.[6][8] He received a Ph.D. in geology from Harvard University in 1964, based on his geological field studies in Norway.[6][9]
NASA career
Before joining
Schmitt spent considerable time becoming proficient in the
Schmitt claims to have taken the photograph of the Earth known as The Blue Marble, one of the most widely distributed photographic images in existence.[13]
Perhaps the hardest thing to get used to on the Moon is that the sky is completely black. There's no blue at all.
Harrison Schmitt[14]
While on the Moon's surface, Schmitt—the only geologist in the astronaut corps—collected the rock sample designated Troctolite 76535, which has been called "without doubt the most interesting sample returned from the Moon".[15] Among other distinctions, it is the central piece of evidence suggesting that the Moon once possessed an active magnetic field.[16]
As he returned to the Lunar Module before Cernan, Schmitt is the next-to-last person to have walked on the Moon's surface. Since the death of Cernan in 2017, Schmitt is the most recent person to have walked on the Moon who is still alive. After the completion of the Apollo 17 mission, Schmitt played an active role in documenting the Apollo geologic results and also took on the task of organizing NASA's Energy Program Office.[17]
On April 29, 2018, the Schmitt Space Communicator SC-1x named in his honor was carried aboard the Blue Origin New Shepard crew capsule[18][19] in a project partly funded by NASA.[20][21] It launched the first commercial two-way data and wi-fi hotspot service in space and sent the first commercial Twitter message from space.[22][23] The three-pound device was developed by Solstar, which Schmitt joined as an advisor, and launched 66 miles above the Earth's surface as a technology demonstration. The device was admitted to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.[24][25]
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Schmitt poses by theEVA.
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Schmitt collects lunar specimens during the Apollo 17 mission.
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Schmitt falls while on a Moonwalk.
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Astronauts Harrison Schmitt andEugene Cernan singing "While Strolling Through the Park One Day" on the Moon during the Apollo 17 mission
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The Blue Marble, an iconic photograph of Earth, is credited to the three crewmen of Apollo 17
Senate career
On August 30, 1975, Schmitt resigned from NASA to seek election as a
He served one term and, notably, was the chairman of the Science, Technology, and Space Subcommittee of the United States Senate Committee on Commerce.[31] He sought a second term in 1982, facing state Attorney General Jeff Bingaman. Bingaman attacked Schmitt for not paying enough attention to local matters; his campaign slogan asked, "What on Earth has he done for you lately?"[32] This, combined with the deep recession, proved too much for Schmitt to overcome; he was defeated, 54% to 46%.[33]
Post-Senate career
Following his Senate term, Schmitt has been a consultant in business, geology, space, and public policy. Schmitt is an adjunct professor of engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison,[34] and has long been a proponent of lunar resource utilization.[35][36] In 1997 he proposed the Interlune InterMars Initiative, listing among its goals the advancement of private-sector acquisition and use of lunar resources, particularly lunar helium-3 as a fuel for notional nuclear fusion reactors.[37]
Schmitt was chair of the
Schmitt also serves as a visiting senior research scientist at the
In January 2011, he was appointed as secretary of the
Schmitt wrote a book entitled Return to the Moon: Exploration, Enterprise, and Energy in the Human Settlement of Space in 2006.[43] Schmitt is also involved in several civic projects, including the improvement of the Senator Harrison H. Schmitt Big Sky Hang Glider Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[44]
Views on climate change
Schmitt has rejected the scientific consensus on climate change, which states that climate change is real, progressing, dangerous, and primarily human-caused. He has claimed that climate change is predominantly caused by natural factors, as opposed to human activity. Schmitt has argued that the risks posed by climate change are overstated and has instead supported the notion[45] that climate change is a "tool" used to advocate for the expansion of the government.[39]
Schmitt resigned from the
In a 2009 interview with far-right conspiracy theorist and radio host Alex Jones, Schmitt asserted a link between the collapse of the Soviet Union and the American environmental movement: "I think the whole trend really began with the fall of the Soviet Union. Because the great champion of the opponents of liberty, namely communism, had to find some other place to go and they basically went into the environmental movement."[51]
In 2013, Schmitt co-authored an opinion column in The Wall Street Journal with William Happer, contending that increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are not significantly correlated with global warming, attributing the "single-minded demonization of this natural and essential atmospheric gas" to advocates of government control of energy production. Noting a positive relationship between crop resistance to drought and increasing carbon dioxide levels, the authors argued, "Contrary to what some would have us believe, increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will benefit the increasing population on the planet by increasing agricultural productivity."[52]
In popular culture
- Schmitt was portrayed by Tom Amandes in the 1998 miniseries From the Earth to the Moon.[53]
- Schmitt appeared in a 1993 episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy.[54]
- Comedian Norm Macdonald mentioned Schmitt in his stand-up routine from at least 2015 until shortly before his death, joking about Schmitt's relative obscurity despite being one of only a few people to ever walk on the Moon.[55]
Awards and honors
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal (1973)[56]
- He was made an honorary fellow of the geoscience in 1984.[57]
- 1989 Recipient of the G. K. Gilbert Award[58]
- One of the elementary schools in Schmitt's hometown of Silver City, New Mexico was named in his honor in the mid-1970s. An image of the astronaut riding a rocket through space is displayed on the front of Harrison Schmitt Elementary School.[59]
- AAPG's Special Award has been changed to the Harrison Schmitt Award in 2011. It recognizes individuals or organizations that, for a variety of reasons, do not qualify for other Association honors or awards. Schmitt received the award in 1973 for his contribution as the first geologist to land on the Moon and study its geology.[60]
- 2015 Recipient of the Leif Erikson Exploration Award, awarded by The Exploration Museum, for his scientific work on the surface of the Moon in 1972, and for his part in the geology training of all the astronauts that walked on the Moon before him.[61]
Schmitt was one of five inductees into the
Media
Schmitt is one of the astronauts featured in the 2007 documentary In the Shadow of the Moon.[64] He also contributed to the 2006 book NASA's Scientist-Astronauts by David Shayler and Colin Burgess.
See also
- The Astronaut Monument
- Astronaut–politician
References
- ^ "Apollo 17". NASA. March 16, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
- ^ "Extravehicular Activity". NASA. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
- ^ "Biography". NASA. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Naked Science: Living on the Moon". National Geographic Television. August 15, 2010.
- ^ "Schmitt One Of Those Who Has Been There". Alamogordo Daily News. Alamogordo, New Mexico. October 16, 1977. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "50 Years in Space - Harrison Schmitt". California Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on October 22, 2008. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
- ^ "Distinguished Alumni Awards" (PDF). California Institute of Technology. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 13, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
- ^ "Learned to walk on the moon in Oslo". Universitas. May 27, 2009. Archived from the original on September 2, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
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- ^ "Six Young Scientists Become US Astronauts Today at Space Center". Lebanon Daily News. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. UPI. June 29, 1965. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vermont Scientist May Be On Early Mission to the Moon". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, Vermont. Associated Press. June 28, 1965. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A Running Start – Apollo 17 up to Powered Descent Initiation". Apollo Lunar Surface Journal. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
- ^ Reinert, Al (April 12, 2011). "The Blue Marble Shot: Our First Complete Photograph of Earth". The Atlantic.
- ^ Harrison Schmitt - Hyde Park Civilizace | Česká televize (in Czech), retrieved August 10, 2023
- ^ Nancy S. Todd. "Lunar Sample Compendium".
- ^ "Rock Suggests Early Moon's Fiery Core Churned a Magnetic Field". The New York Times. January 20, 2009.
- ^ "Apollo 17 Crew Information". NASA. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ Gibbs, Yvonne (May 1, 2018). "Wi-Fi in Space, Spacecraft Technologies Launched on Blue Origin Rocket". NASA. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ Mishra, Gourav (February 5, 2018). "Here's everything you need to know about Solstar's communicator which will connect space to Earth". www.ibtimes.co.in. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ Ditzler, Joseph. "Space Wi-Fi startup aims to raise $1M via crowdfunding investment site". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ "New Mexico firm hopes to offer Wi-Fi for space travelers". The Seattle Times. April 29, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ "How Humans Will Bring the Internet to Space". www.vice.com. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ "Apogee 351,000 Feet". Blue Origin. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ "MSUA Member Interview. Brian Barnett, Founder & CEO, Solstar Space". msua. November 16, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ "That Space Podcast: Solstar Space Co. CEO Brian Barnett". thatspacepodcast.libsyn.com. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ Graves, Howard (September 10, 1975). "Schmitt Announces He's Seeking U.S. Senate". Silver City Daily Press. Silver City, New Mexico. Associated Press. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Chriss, Nicholas (September 18, 1975). "Astronaut Corps Getting Thinner and Thinner". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 11A.
- ^ a b Feather, Bill (November 3, 1976). "Montoya's Tenure Ended by Schmitt". Las Vegas Optic. Las Vegas, New Mexico. Associated Press. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Montoya, Schmitt, Peirce on Ballots". Las Cruces Sun-News. UPI. March 28, 1976. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Schmitt Landslide Ends Montoya Senate Reign". Clovis News-Journal. Clovis, New Mexico. Associated Press. November 3, 1976. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Sandoval, Arturo (February 13, 1981). "APS Defends Science, Math Curriculum". Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Astronauts Who Went to the Moon - The 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing - TIME". TIME.com. July 16, 2009. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
- ^ "Winners, losers in governor, Senate, House races". The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. November 4, 1982. p. 137 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Harrison J. Schmitt". engr.wisc.edu. University of Wisconsin—. Archived from the original on February 2, 2007. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
- Bibcode:1988lhfp.rept...35K.
- ISBN 0-387-24285-6
- S2CID 108656783.
- ^ "NASA - Schmitt Completes NASA Advisory Council Service; Ford Named Chairman". nasa.gov. NASA. October 2008. Archived from the original on June 9, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Former NASA Advisory Council Chair Jack Schmitt Quits Planetary Society Over New Roadmap". SpaceRef.com. November 17, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Harrison 'Jack' Schmitt".
- ^ "Harrison Schmitt withdraws nomination for New Mexico energy secretary". El Paso Times. February 11, 2011. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012.
- ^ Simonich, Milan (February 11, 2011). "Harrison Schmitt withdraws nomination for New Mexico energy secretary". El Paso Times. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-387-31064-0. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
- ^ "Parks". Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
- PMID 19158101.
- ^ "Apollo Astronaut Quits Planetary Society over Priority Dispute". SpaceNews. November 26, 2008. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ "Heartland climate-denier conference promises plenty of political science". The Nevada Independent. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- ^ "Ex-Astronaut: Global Warming Is Bunk" Archived July 17, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Fox News, February 16, 2009
- ^ Klein, Naomi (November 9, 2011). "Capitalism vs. the Climate". The Nation. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
- ^ "Is Global Warming Real?". Fox Business. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
- ^ "Moonstruck: Climate science denier Harrison Schmitt, appointed to head NM environment agency, believes enviros and scientists like Holdren are communists - ThinkProgress". ThinkProgress.
- ^ Harrison H. Schmitt And William Happer (May 8, 2013). "Harrison H. Schmitt and William Happer: In Defense of Carbon Dioxide". WSJ.
- ^ "From the Earth to the Moon: Full Cast and Crew". IMDb. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ "Bill Nye the Science Guy". TV Guide. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ "Norm Macdonald Live in Kansas City (6/7/2015)". YouTube. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Harrison Schmitt NASA Biography" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
- ^ "Geological Society of America: Award & Medal Recipients". Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
- ^ "Dyar wins 2016 GSA Gilbert Award". NASA. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ^ "Harrison Schmitt Elementary - Home". Archived from the original on July 2, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ^ "Leadership".
- ^ "The Leif Erikson Exploration Awards". Retrieved November 30, 2015.
- ^ "Space Hall Honors Pioneers". Las Cruces Sun-News. Las Cruces, New Mexico. October 30, 1977. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Meyer, Marilyn (October 2, 1997). "Ceremony to Honor Astronauts". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 2B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "In the Shadow of the Moon: Full Cast and Crew". IMDb. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
External links
- Interview with Harrison Schmitt for NOVA series: To the Moon WGBH Educational Foundation, raw footage, 1998
- Harrison Schmitt visits University of Malta in 2009 and Handaq School
- Spacefacts biography of Harrison Schmitt
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Space Policy Directive-1, in The Federal Register
- Harrison Schmitt in Hyde Park Civilization on ČT24 10.12.2022 (moderator Daniel Stach)