Harrison Schmitt
Harrison Hagan Schmitt entered the world on the 3rd of July 1935 in Santa Rita, New Mexico. He grew up nearby in Silver City and graduated from Western High School in 1953. His academic journey began at the California Institute of Technology where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a special field in geology in 1957. A year later he studied geology at the University of Oslo in Norway as a Fulbright Scholar. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy in geology from Harvard University in 1964 based on field studies conducted in Norway.
Schmitt joined NASA as a member of the first group of scientist-astronauts in June 1965. Before this selection he worked at the U.S. Geological Survey's Astrogeology Center at Flagstaff, Arizona developing geological field techniques for Apollo crews. His first year at Air Force UPT was spent learning to become a jet pilot. Upon returning to the astronaut corps in Houston he played a key role in training Apollo crews to be geologic observers. He helped them become competent geologic field workers when they were on the lunar surface. In March 1970 he became the first of the scientist-astronauts assigned to space flight joining Richard F. Gordon Jr and Vance Brand on the Apollo 15 backup crew.
When Apollo 18 and Apollo 19 were canceled in September 1970 the community of lunar geologists pressured NASA to reassign Schmitt. He was assigned in August 1971 to fly on Apollo 17 replacing Joe Engle as Lunar Module Pilot. He landed on the Moon with commander Gene Cernan in December 1972. As Apollo 17 was the last of the Apollo missions he became the twelfth person to set foot on the Moon. He is also the second-to-last person to step off of the Moon since boarding the Lunar Module shortly before Cernan. While on the surface he collected rock sample Troctolite 76535 which has been called without doubt the most interesting sample returned from the Moon.
Schmitt resigned from NASA on the 30th of August 1975 to seek election as a Republican to the United States Senate representing New Mexico. His campaign focused on the future and lasted fourteen months. In the Republican primary held on the 1st of June 1976 he defeated the unknown Eugene Peirce. In the general election he opposed two-term Democratic incumbent Joseph Montoya. He defeated Montoya 57% to 43%. He served one term and notably chaired the Science Technology and Space Subcommittee of the United States Senate Committee on Commerce. He sought a second term in 1982 facing state Attorney General Jeff Bingaman who criticized Schmitt for not paying enough attention to local matters.
Following his Senate term Schmitt has been a consultant in business geology space and public policy. He is an adjunct professor of engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and has long been a proponent of lunar resource utilization. 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 fuel for nuclear fusion reactors. He was chair of the NASA Advisory Council from November 2005 until his abrupt resignation on the 16th of October 2008. In January 2011 he was appointed secretary of the New Mexico Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department but gave up the appointment the following month after refusing to submit to a required background investigation.
Schmitt has rejected the scientific consensus on climate change which states that climate change is real progressing dangerous and primarily human-caused. He claims that climate change is predominantly caused by natural factors as opposed to human activity. He argued that risks posed by climate change are overstated and supported the notion that it is a tool used to advocate for government expansion. He resigned from the Planetary Society due to disagreements over their Roadmap to Space Exploration. Schmitt spoke at the March 2009 International Conference on Climate Change where he said that climate change was a stalking horse for National Socialism. In December 2009 he appeared on Fox Business Network saying that the CO2 scare is a red herring.
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Common questions
When was Harrison Schmitt born and where did he grow up?
Harrison Hagan Schmitt entered the world on the 3rd of July 1935 in Santa Rita, New Mexico. He grew up nearby in Silver City and graduated from Western High School in 1953.
What role did Harrison Schmitt play during the Apollo 17 mission to the Moon?
He landed on the Moon with commander Gene Cernan in December 1972 as the twelfth person to set foot on the lunar surface. He is also the second-to-last person to step off of the Moon since boarding the Lunar Module shortly before Cernan.
How did Harrison Schmitt transition from NASA astronaut to United States Senator?
Schmitt resigned from NASA on the 30th of August 1975 to seek election as a Republican to the United States Senate representing New Mexico. In the general election he defeated two-term Democratic incumbent Joseph Montoya 57% to 43%.
Why did Harrison Schmitt resign from his position at the NASA Advisory Council?
He served as chair of the NASA Advisory Council from November 2005 until his abrupt resignation on the 16th of October 2008. The text does not specify the reason for this specific resignation but notes it occurred abruptly.
What are Harrison Schmitt's views on climate change and global warming?
Schmitt has rejected the scientific consensus on climate change which states that climate change is real progressing dangerous and primarily human-caused. He claims that climate change is predominantly caused by natural factors as opposed to human activity.