Harrison Schmitt

Harrison Schmitt
Schmitt in 1971
United States Senator from New Mexico
In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1983
Preceded by	Joseph Montoya
Succeeded by	Jeff Bingaman
Personal details
Born	Harrison Hagan Schmitt (1935-07-03) July 3, 1935 (age 88) Santa Rita, New Mexico, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Teresa Fitzgibbon
Education	California Institute of Technology (BS) University of Oslo Harvard University (PhD)
Awards	NASA Distinguished Service Medal
Space career
NASA astronaut
Time in space	12d 13h 52m
Selection	NASA Group 4 (1965)
Total EVAs	3 on the lunar surface[1]
Total EVA time	20h 35m[2]
Missions	Apollo 17
Mission insignia
Retirement	August 30, 1975
Scientific career
Fields	Geology
Institutions	U.S. Geological Survey University of Wisconsin, Madison
Thesis	Petrology and Structure of the Eiksundsdal Eclogite Complex, Hareidland, Sunnmøre, Norway (1964)

Harrison Hagan "Jack" Schmitt (born July 3, 1935) is an American geologist, former NASA astronaut, university professor, former U.S. senator from New Mexico, and the most recent living person—and only person without a background in military aviation—to have walked on the Moon.^[3]

In December 1972, as one of the crew on board Apollo 17, Schmitt became the first member of NASA's first scientist-astronaut group to fly in space. As Apollo 17 was the last of the Apollo missions, he also became the twelfth and second-youngest person to set foot on the Moon and the second-to-last person to step off of the Moon (he boarded the Lunar Module shortly before commander Eugene Cernan). Schmitt also remains the only professional scientist to have flown beyond low Earth orbit and to have visited the Moon.^[4] He was influential within the community of geologists supporting the Apollo program and, before starting his own preparations for an Apollo mission, had been one of the scientists training those Apollo astronauts chosen to visit the lunar surface.

Schmitt resigned from NASA in August 1975 to run for election to the United States Senate as a member from New Mexico. As the Republican candidate in the 1976 election, he defeated Democratic incumbent Joseph Montoya. In the 1982 election, Schmitt was defeated by Democrat Jeff Bingaman.