Schmitt, Harrison 1935- (Harrison H. Schmitt, Harrison Hagan Schmitt, Jack Schmitt)

PERSONAL:

Born July 3, 1935, in Santa Rita, NM; son of Harrison A. and Ethel Schmitt; married Teresa Fitzgibbon. Education: California Institute of Technol- ogy, B.S., 1957; studied at the University of Oslo, 1957-58; Harvard University, Ph.D., 1964. Hobbies and other interests: Writing, fishing, skiing, carpentry, hiking, squash, handball, running.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Albuquerque, NM.

CAREER:

Founder and chairman of Interlune-Intermars Initiative, Inc.; U.S. Geological Survey, geologist, 1964-65; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 1965-75, scientist astronaut, became manager of the energy program; U.S. Senator representing NM, 1977-82; University of Wisconsin, Madison, adjunct professor; Lovelace Institutes, chief executive officer, 1996. Advisor and board member of various government and private entities, including the Independent Strategic Assessment Group of the U.S. Air Force Phillips Laboratory, NASA, Orbital Sciences Corporation, Draper Laboratory, and the National Space Society. Appeared as himself in In the Shadow of the Moon (documentary film), 2007.

MEMBER:

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, American Geophysical Union, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, American Astronautical Society, Geological Society of America, Sigma XI.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Fulbright fellowship, 1957-58; Kennecott fellowship, Harvard University, 1958-59; Harvard University fellowship, 1959-1969; Parker fellowship, Harvard University, 1961-62; National Science postdoctoral fellowship, Harvard University, 1963-64; Superior Achievement Award, Johnson Space Center, 1970; Distinguished Service Medal, NASA, 1973; Arthur S. Fleming Award, 1973; Fairchild fellow, California Institute of Technology, 1973-74; honorary fellow, Geological Society of America, 1973; National Order of the Lion, Republic of Senegal, 1973; honorary life member, New Mexico Geological Society, 1973; honorary member, Norwegian Geographical Society, 1973; honorary fellow, American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers, 1973; honorary fellow, Geological Society (London, England), 1974; named to the International Space Hall of Fame, 1977; fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1977; Engineer of the Year Award, National Society of Professional Engineers, 1981; National Security Award, 1981; NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, 1982; Lovelace Award, Society of NASA Flight Surgeons, 1989; G.K. Gilbert Award, Planetary Geology Division, Geological Society of America, 1989; Award for Excellence, Presbyterian Healthcare Foundation, 1990; named to the Astronaut Hall of Fame, 1997; Eugene Shoemaker Memorial Award, Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science of Arizona State University, 2007; honorary doctorates from Colorado School of Mines, 1973, Rensselear Polytechnic Institute, 1975, Franklin and Marshall College, 1977, and Salem College, 1982.

WRITINGS:

(Editor) Equilibrium Diagrams for Minerals at Low Temperature and Pressure, 1962.

Return to the Moon: Exploration, Enterprise, and Energy in the Human Settlement of Space, foreword by Neil Armstrong, Copernicus Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Sound recordings include Last Words on the Moon, Encyclopedia Americana/CBS News Audio Resource Library (New York, NY), 1972, and Public Education in the 80's, National Public Radio (Washington, DC), 1980.

SIDELIGHTS:

In 1972 Harrison Schmitt was the last of twelve astronauts to walk on the moon and the only scientist among them. In preparation for space flight, Schmitt was trained as a test pilot, a requirement of the program. When he earned his wings at Williams Air Force Base in 1966, he joined his fellow astronauts who were preparing for the Apollo program. The only geologist on the team, he contributed first by evaluating geologic samples brought back during the earlier missions. He was mission scientist for Apollo 11 and trained as a lunar module pilot on the backup crew for Apollo 15. The opportunity to serve on the primary crew came with the twelve-day Apollo 17 mission, the last Apollo mission to the moon, during which Schmitt was able to collect rocks and other samples using a variety of specially designed tools. He and other scientists then documented his findings. Schmitt was with NASA for ten years, and during his last two years, he managed its Energy Program.

Before joining NASA, Schmitt was a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, for which he performed field work in New Mexico and Montana. When he left NASA, Schmitt served one term in the U.S. Senate, representing his home state of New Mexico. The Republican senator was a member of many committees, including Commerce, Banking, Intelligence, Appropriations, and Ethics. He was chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and not surprisingly, during his last two years, on the Science, Technology, and Space Subcommittee.

Schmitt recalls his experiences in Return to the Moon: Exploration, Enterprise, and Energy in the Human Settlement of Space, but he does much more. Drawing on his knowledge and experience, he proposes the extraction of precious resources from the moon, including the isotope helium-3, an abundant source of clean and powerful energy that is in short supply on Earth. After leaving the Senate, Schmitt joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he and his colleagues have worked on fusion reactor development. Schmitt writes of the future energy needs of the planet and of fuel sources, both existing (fossil fuels and nuclear energy) and alternative (hydrogen and space-based solar power). In projecting his plan for the utilization of lunar energy sources, he details the geology of the moon and how it could be mined, the power needed to travel back and forth, and specifics regarding personnel, training, and pay. He includes copies of e-mails he sent to White House staff and the director of the Office of Management and Budget beginning in 2001, suggesting ways in which NASA could be reinvigorated by such a program. Schmitt later became chairman of NASA's advisory board.

Heavy emphasis is placed on the importance of management of Schmitt's proposed program, and he discusses international mineral and property rights. He perceives such a program to be economically feasible only if private business is involved and if the project is permanent.

American Scientist reviewer Paul D. Spudis wrote that "the volume is structured as a legal brief." In reviewing the book, Spudis wrote: "Exactly how one takes all of this depends very much on one's personal predilections and how one views the track record and credibility of people promising commercial fusion power. The traditional comment on this field is that commercial fusion power is ten years away—and has been since the middle of the past century. And as noted above, the simplest fusion reaction, deuterium-tritium fusion, has yet to come close to breakeven (to producing as much energy as is needed to start the reaction), despite being an order of magnitude easier to achieve than the fusion of deuterium and helium-3." A SciTech Book News reviewer noted that even though Schmitt puts forth his ideas in detail, general readers interested in science, as well as specialists, "will find his argument clear."

Anthony Young concluded his review for the Space Review Web site by writing: "There have been many books written about future lunar exploration and the long-term benefits to the Moon's and Earth's occupants of doing so. Only one book, however, has been written by a man who has actually been to the Moon, explored its surface, and knows firsthand the economic benefits locked in the Moon's regolith. Harrison Schmitt's Return to the Moon will serve as a blueprint for how to achieve this and contribute to making the Vision for Space Exploration a reality."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

American Men & Women of Science, 23rd edition, Gale (Detroit, MI), 2006.

Encyclopedia of World Biography, Volume 22, Gale (Detroit, MI), 2002.

PERIODICALS

Ad Astra, July 1, 1993, Harrison Wagner, "A Campaign for Space," interview, p. 16; spring, 2006, Robert Z. Perlman, review of Return to the Moon: Exploration, Enterprise, and Energy in the Human Settlement of Space, p. 41.

American History Illustrated, summer, 1989, Douglas MacKinnon, Joseph Baldanza, "Footprints on the Moon," excerpted from Footprints: The Twelve Men Who Walked on the Moon Reflect on Their Flights, Their Lives, and the Future, p. 18.

American Scientist, May 1, 2006, Paul D. Spudis, review of Return to the Moon, p. 280.

America's Intelligence Wire, March 3, 2003, "U. Notre Dame: Last Man on Moon Talks Geology at Notre Dame."

Australasian Business Intelligence, July 14, 2002, "Moon a Possible Pit Stop for Future Lunar Mines."

Choice, May, 2006, C.G. Wood, review of Return to the Moon, p. 1632.

Discover, July, 1994, Tim Folger, Sarah Richardson, Carl Zimmer, "Remembering Apollo," interview, p. 38.

Geotimes, December, 2006, review of Return to the Moon, p. 63.

New York Times, October 30, 1984, Philip M. Boffey, "Panelists Say Joint Ventures in Space Are Crucial to World Peace."

Oil Daily, December 1, 1989, "Former Astronaut, Senator to Speak at Dinner Meeting," p. 5.

Science, March 25, 1983, Marjorie Sun, "A New Chairman for Senate Science Panel," p. 1407.

SciTech Book News, March, 2006, review of Return to the Moon.

Variety, February 5, 2007, Todd McCarthy, review of In the Shadow of the Moon, p. 101.

ONLINE

All Things Considered Online,http://www.npr.org/ (January 16, 2004), Melissa Block, "Interview: Harrison Schmitt Discusses His Experience as One of the Last Men to Walk on the Moon," broadcast transcript.

Astrobiology Online,http://www.moontoday.net/ (May 18, 2006), "Revisiting the Moon: Astrobiology Magazine Interview with Apollo Astronaut Harrison Schmitt."

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress,http://bioguide.congress.gov/ (February 18, 2008), brief biography.

Hasselblad Foundation Web site,http://www.hasselbladfoundation.org/ (February 18, 2008), biography.

Morning Edition Onlinehttp://www.npr.org/ (January 22, 2007), Steve Inskeep, Nell Boyce, "NASA's Big Chore: Dusting on the Moon," interview; broadcast transcript.

National Space Society Web site,http://www.nss.org/ (February 18, 2008), Robert Z. Perlman, review of Return to the Moon, reprinted from spring, 2006, edition of Ad Astra.

Space Review,http://www.thespacereview.com/ (January 3, 2006), Anthony Young, review of Return to the Moon.