Jack Schmitt Biography Quotes 3 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education
Harrison Hagan "Jack" Schmitt was born on July 3, 1935, in Santa Rita, New Mexico, and grew up in nearby Silver City in the American Southwest. The high desert, mining towns, and stark mountain geology of New Mexico helped kindle an early fascination with rocks and landscapes that would later define his career. He studied geology at the California Institute of Technology, earning a bachelor's degree, and pursued additional graduate work in Norway before completing a doctorate in geology at Harvard University. Those formative years combined rigorous academic preparation with extensive fieldwork, the sort of hands-on observation and mapping that would later make him invaluable to the American space program.

Geologist and NASA Scientist-Astronaut
After Harvard, Schmitt joined the U.S. Geological Survey's Astrogeology Branch in Flagstaff, Arizona, a hub led and inspired by pioneering planetary geologist Eugene Shoemaker. There, Schmitt helped map lunar terrain from photographs and participated in field exercises designed to teach Apollo crews how to recognize and document scientifically meaningful features. He worked closely with colleagues and mentors such as Shoemaker and Caltech geologist Lee Silver, and interacted with mission planners including Farouk El-Baz, whose work on site selection and astronaut training shaped the Apollo program. In 1965 Schmitt was chosen by NASA as part of the first group of scientist-astronauts, a cohort selected by Deke Slayton and other managers to infuse the astronaut corps with deep scientific expertise.

Path to the Moon
Schmitt underwent the same flight training and spacecraft systems preparation as his test-pilot colleagues, while also continuing to refine Apollo geology plans. He served in support roles and as backup lunar module pilot for Apollo 15, absorbing the demands of lunar surface operations. When Apollo budget cuts canceled the final planned missions, the scientific community pressed NASA leadership, including George Low and Slayton, to ensure that a trained geologist would have a chance to work on the Moon. That advocacy culminated in a high-profile crew change: Schmitt replaced Joe Engle as lunar module pilot on Apollo 17, joining commander Eugene A. Cernan and command module pilot Ronald E. Evans for what would become the last Apollo lunar landing.

Apollo 17: Geology on the Moon
Launched at night in December 1972, Apollo 17 targeted the Taurus-Littrow valley, a site chosen to sample both ancient highland material and younger volcanic deposits. On the surface, Schmitt and Cernan used the Lunar Roving Vehicle to range across the valley floor and lower slopes, conducting three extended moonwalks. Drawing on years of field experience, Schmitt led real-time interpretations of outcrops, breccias, and soil horizons while working closely with the science backroom on Earth. Among the most memorable finds was a deposit of vivid orange soil near Shorty Crater, a discovery that pointed to past volcanic fire-fountaining and broadened understanding of the Moon's thermal history. The crew returned more than 100 kilograms of carefully documented samples and a trove of geologic observations. As the mission concluded, Cernan became the last human to depart the lunar surface, with Schmitt, America's first and only professional geologist to walk on the Moon, close behind.

Science, Policy, and Public Service
The end of Apollo closed one chapter and opened another. Schmitt continued to advocate for planetary science and exploration within NASA and the broader research community, emphasizing the scientific value of field training and the integration of geology into mission design. He then entered public office, winning election in 1976 as a United States senator from New Mexico. In the Senate, he focused on issues where his background mattered most: science, technology, energy, natural resources, and education. He worked with colleagues across party lines and kept close ties with the technical community and former NASA associates, while keeping an eye on America's long-term space policy. In 1982 he lost his bid for a second term to Jeff Bingaman, marking the end of his tenure in elected office.

Research, Industry, and Advocacy
After the Senate, Schmitt returned to a mix of consulting, research, and public advocacy. He collaborated with engineers and scientists on the practical uses of space resources, notably promoting the concept that the Moon's regolith could hold fuel for future fusion research in the form of helium-3. He worked with researchers such as Gerald Kulcinski and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin on the scientific and technical case for helium-3, based energy, and he continued to publish and lecture on lunar geology, mission design, and economic development of space. Schmitt also authored Return to the Moon, laying out an integrated vision that combined exploration, enterprise, and long-term settlement strategies. In the 2000s he served as chair of the NASA Advisory Council, advising NASA leadership, including Administrator Mike Griffin, on priorities ranging from exploration architectures to basic science.

Perspectives and Public Engagement
Throughout his post-Apollo life, Schmitt maintained a scientist's commitment to evidence-based debate, even when his views diverged from prevailing wisdom. He became a recognizable voice in discussions of energy policy, space commercialization, and the future of human exploration. His positions on climate and environmental policy stirred public conversation and underscored his belief that robust data and transparent analysis should guide major societal choices.

Legacy
Schmitt's legacy spans laboratory, field, cockpit, and Senate floor. As a geologist, he helped shape how astronauts learn to observe, sample, and think about planetary surfaces. As an astronaut, he transformed a lunar expedition into a rigorous scientific field campaign, working shoulder-to-shoulder with Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and teams of scientists and flight controllers on Earth. As a policymaker and advisor, he sought durable links between discovery and national purpose, arguing that exploration pays dividends in knowledge, technology, and opportunity. The images of a scientist kneeling beside a lunar boulder, dusted with gray regolith and intent on the rock's story, capture the arc of his career: the conviction that careful observation, disciplined inquiry, and bold travel can, together, reveal how worlds, ours and others, came to be.

Our collection contains 3 quotes who is written by Jack, under the main topics: Life - Science - Technology.