WEBVTT FILE 1 00:00:00.133 --> 00:00:03.503 Later this year, Apollo 17 astronaut and geologist Jack 2 00:00:03.503 --> 00:00:06.173 Schmitt will mark forty-five years since his first steps on 3 00:00:06.173 --> 00:00:10.444 the moon in December 1972. Those footprints left an impression on 4 00:00:10.444 --> 00:00:12.446 both the moon and on Schmitt. 5 00:00:16.183 --> 00:00:17.584 “No matter how much preparation 6 00:00:17.584 --> 00:00:23.991 you have for experiences like stepping on the moon, it’s going 7 00:00:23.991 --> 00:00:26.393 to be more than you ever anticipated.” Schmitt was the 8 00:00:26.393 --> 00:00:29.196 first trained field geologist to observe the moon up close and 9 00:00:29.196 --> 00:00:32.232 personal, and he found himself discovering unexpected things 10 00:00:32.232 --> 00:00:35.669 with every step. “Every rock that we examined had something 11 00:00:35.669 --> 00:00:39.907 new that I didn’t expect. And surprises are what geologists 12 00:00:39.907 --> 00:00:43.243 like. That’s why you’re exploring – to see the things 13 00:00:43.243 --> 00:00:45.546 that no one has ever seen before.” Schmitt spent a 14 00:00:45.546 --> 00:00:48.348 combined twenty-two hours outside of the spacecraft during 15 00:00:48.348 --> 00:00:51.351 his three excursions on the moon. Before his own trip, 16 00:00:51.351 --> 00:00:54.421 Schmitt trained other Apollo astronauts. Sharing with them 17 00:00:54.421 --> 00:00:57.357 his in-depth knowledge of field work. “The main thing was to 18 00:00:57.357 --> 00:01:01.995 expose them to as many different geological experiences as we 19 00:01:01.995 --> 00:01:04.898 possibly could. Get them out in the field – don’t let them sit 20 00:01:04.898 --> 00:01:07.768 in the classroom.” He treated training scenarios on Earth the 21 00:01:07.768 --> 00:01:10.938 same way he would if they were on the moon. Including simulated 22 00:01:10.938 --> 00:01:13.707 equipment, backpacks and cameras strapped to the front of 23 00:01:13.707 --> 00:01:17.010 spacesuits. Astronauts could then focus on what differences 24 00:01:17.010 --> 00:01:19.580 in the rocks they were seeing, and what rock samples were best 25 00:01:19.580 --> 00:01:22.482 to collect. Essentially giving them the fundamental field 26 00:01:22.482 --> 00:01:25.886 geological experiences that they needed to succeed. The four or 27 00:01:25.886 --> 00:01:28.622 five days per month Schmitt spent training astronauts in the 28 00:01:28.622 --> 00:01:31.692 field really did made a difference. “The quality and 29 00:01:31.692 --> 00:01:35.862 diversity of the Apollo sample collection, independent of 30 00:01:35.862 --> 00:01:39.499 Apollo 17 where you had an experienced geologist, the 31 00:01:39.499 --> 00:01:42.169 quality and diversity of that sample collection is just 32 00:01:42.169 --> 00:01:44.037 remarkable.” Fortunately, the current 33 00:01:44.037 --> 00:01:46.940 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, or LRO, is changing 34 00:01:46.940 --> 00:01:50.010 the game; bringing back high- quality photography of the moon 35 00:01:50.010 --> 00:01:53.013 that Schmitt only wished he’d seen before his own trip. “The 36 00:01:53.013 --> 00:01:57.084 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter program now has provided us with 37 00:01:57.084 --> 00:02:00.887 a much, much higher resolution suite of photographs for any 38 00:02:00.887 --> 00:02:03.390 future astronauts.” What we learned from the Apollo missions 39 00:02:03.390 --> 00:02:06.460 helped lay the groundwork for LRO, and LRO will help guide 40 00:02:06.460 --> 00:02:10.964 future explorers. “Every new environment in which a geologist 41 00:02:10.964 --> 00:02:14.735 works is usually very different than the last, but you have 42 00:02:14.735 --> 00:02:18.005 learned things from your previous experiences that do in 43 00:02:18.005 --> 00:02:23.443 fact enable you to maximize the value of your new experience.” 44 00:02:23.443 --> 00:02:26.613 Schmitt has his fingers crossed for future moon exploration, a 45 00:02:26.613 --> 00:02:29.549 landscape he considers holds answers to many questions about 46 00:02:29.549 --> 00:02:32.819 the early solar system. “You can hear people talk about it, but 47 00:02:32.819 --> 00:02:37.824 you can’t absorb it until you’re there.”