1
00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,570
Later this year, Apollo 17
astronaut and geologist Jack

2
00:00:03,570 --> 00:00:06,239
Schmitt will mark fifty years
since his first steps on

3
00:00:06,239 --> 00:00:10,510
the Moon in December 1972. Those
footprints left an impression on

4
00:00:10,510 --> 00:00:12,512
both the Moon and on Schmitt.

5
00:00:16,249 --> 00:00:17,650
“No matter how much preparation

6
00:00:17,650 --> 00:00:24,057
you have for experiences like
stepping on the Moon, it’s going

7
00:00:24,057 --> 00:00:26,459
to be more than you ever
anticipated.” Schmitt was the

8
00:00:26,459 --> 00:00:29,262
first trained field geologist to
observe the Moon up close and

9
00:00:29,262 --> 00:00:32,298
personal, and he found himself
discovering unexpected things

10
00:00:32,298 --> 00:00:35,735
with every step. “Every rock
that we examined had something

11
00:00:35,735 --> 00:00:39,973
new that I didn’t expect. And
surprises are what geologists

12
00:00:39,973 --> 00:00:43,309
like. That’s why you’re
exploring – to see the things

13
00:00:43,309 --> 00:00:45,612
that no one has ever seen
before.” Schmitt spent a

14
00:00:45,612 --> 00:00:48,415
combined twenty-two hours
outside of the spacecraft during

15
00:00:48,415 --> 00:00:51,418
his three excursions on the
Moon. Before his own trip,

16
00:00:51,418 --> 00:00:54,487
Schmitt trained other Apollo
astronauts. Sharing with them

17
00:00:54,487 --> 00:00:57,424
his in-depth knowledge of field
work. “The main thing was to

18
00:00:57,424 --> 00:01:02,062
expose them to as many different
geological experiences as we

19
00:01:02,062 --> 00:01:04,964
possibly could. Get them out in
the field – don’t let them sit

20
00:01:04,964 --> 00:01:07,834
in the classroom.” He treated
training scenarios on Earth the

21
00:01:07,834 --> 00:01:11,004
same way he would if they were
on the moon. Including simulated

22
00:01:11,004 --> 00:01:13,773
equipment, backpacks and cameras
strapped to the front of

23
00:01:13,773 --> 00:01:17,077
spacesuits. Astronauts could
then focus on what differences

24
00:01:17,077 --> 00:01:19,646
in the rocks they were seeing,
and what rock samples were best

25
00:01:19,646 --> 00:01:22,549
to collect. Essentially giving
them the fundamental field

26
00:01:22,549 --> 00:01:25,952
geological experiences that they
needed to succeed. The four or

27
00:01:25,952 --> 00:01:28,688
five days per month Schmitt
spent training astronauts in the

28
00:01:28,688 --> 00:01:31,758
field really did made a
difference. “The quality and

29
00:01:31,758 --> 00:01:35,929
diversity of the Apollo sample
collection, independent of

30
00:01:35,929 --> 00:01:39,566
Apollo 17 where you had an
experienced geologist, the

31
00:01:39,566 --> 00:01:42,235
quality and diversity of that
sample collection is just

32
00:01:42,235 --> 00:01:44,104
remarkable.”
Fortunately, the current

33
00:01:44,104 --> 00:01:47,006
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
mission, or LRO, is changing

34
00:01:47,006 --> 00:01:50,076
the game; bringing back high-
quality photography of the Moon

35
00:01:50,076 --> 00:01:53,079
that Schmitt only wished he’d
seen before his own trip. “The

36
00:01:53,079 --> 00:01:57,150
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
program now has provided us with

37
00:01:57,150 --> 00:02:00,954
a much, much higher resolution
suite of photographs for any

38
00:02:00,954 --> 00:02:03,456
future astronauts.” What we
learned from the Apollo missions

39
00:02:03,456 --> 00:02:06,526
helped lay the groundwork for
LRO, and LRO will help guide

40
00:02:06,526 --> 00:02:11,030
future explorers. “Every new
environment in which a geologist

41
00:02:11,030 --> 00:02:14,801
works is usually very different
than the last, but you have

42
00:02:14,801 --> 00:02:18,071
learned things from your
previous experiences that do in

43
00:02:18,071 --> 00:02:23,510
fact enable you to maximize the
value of your new experience.”

44
00:02:23,510 --> 00:02:26,679
Schmitt has his fingers crossed
for future Moon exploration, a

45
00:02:26,679 --> 00:02:29,616
landscape he considers holds
answers to many questions about

46
00:02:29,616 --> 00:02:32,886
the early solar system. “You can
hear people talk about it, but

47
00:02:32,886 --> 00:02:37,857
you can’t absorb it until you’re
there.”