Skip to content

Questions about David Scott

Short answers, pulled from the story.

What was David Scott's role on Apollo 15?

David Scott commanded Apollo 15, the fourth crewed lunar landing, which launched on the 26th of July 1971. He piloted the Lunar Module Falcon to the surface manually after a computer-controlled flight path drifted off course, landing within the designated zone near Hadley Rille.

What number person to walk on the Moon was David Scott?

David Scott was the seventh person to walk on the Moon. He and James Irwin spent three days on the lunar surface during the Apollo 15 mission in July and August 1971.

What happened during the Gemini 8 mission with David Scott and Neil Armstrong?

On the 16th of March 1966, Scott and Armstrong completed the first docking in space but were then caught in an uncontrolled spin caused by a malfunctioning thruster on their own craft. Armstrong activated the reentry thrusters to stop the spin, which under mission rules required an immediate return to Earth. The mission lasted only ten hours and Scott's planned spacewalk was cancelled.

What was the Genesis Rock found by David Scott on Apollo 15?

The Genesis Rock is a plagioclase-rich anorthosite, a sample from the early lunar crust, discovered by Scott and James Irwin at Spur Crater on Mount Hadley Delta on the 1st of August 1971. It became one of the most famous samples returned from the Moon.

Why was David Scott reprimanded after Apollo 15?

Scott and his crewmates carried four hundred unauthorized postal covers to the Moon in an arrangement with a friend named Horst Eiermann, with each astronaut set to receive about $7,000. When the covers were offered for commercial sale by a West German stamp dealer against the astronauts' wishes, NASA and the Air Force issued formal reprimands in July 1972 and removed the crew from backup duties on Apollo 17.

How much did David Scott's Bulova Moon watch sell for?

Scott sold his Bulova wristwatch, which he wore during the third Apollo 15 moonwalk after his NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster lost its crystal, for $1.625 million in 2015. He later sued Bulova and Kay Jewelers in 2017 over unauthorized use of his name and image; the case was dismissed by agreement in August 2018.