Schmitt had role with Apollo 11

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published 11:25 a.m., July 20, 2009

Forty years ago today, on July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 Commander Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., Lunar Module pilot, set foot on the moon. This fulfilled the mission first announced by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 — to land men on the lunar surface and to return them safely to Earth.

Armstrong set foot on the lunar surface at 9:56 p.m., Central Daylight Time. Just as he stepped off the lunar module, Armstrong proclaimed, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Aldrin emerged soon after, setting foot on the lunar surface at 10:16 p.m., CDT.

Battle Lake summer resident Harrison (Jack) Schmitt, who later walked on the moon in December 1972, was the Apollo 11 designated "Mission Scientist.” As such, he worked in Mission Control in Houston throughout the mission.

“Before and after the crew's EVA (ExtraVehicular Activity), I helped trouble shoot small spacecraft anomalies as I did on all missions before my own on Apollo 17,” said Schmitt in an e-mail to me on Thursday, July 16, from his home in New Mexico. “Another way to describe EVA would be lunar surface activities.”

From the summer of 1966, after he finished T-38 jet training, Schmitt was the person in the Astronaut Office representing the flight crews in overseeing the actual operability of EVA hardware and science experiments. He also developed the actual plans and timelines for those EVAs.

“Following up on all this activity for other crews,” he said, “made flying to the Valley of Taurus-Littrow on the moon (in 1972) all the more special.”

Schmitt, now 74, was the last of the 12 moonwalkers and the only geologist and scientist to walk on the moon. Attending the space launch in Florida in December 1972 was the late Daily Journal newsroom editor Jim Gray, a neighbor of Schmitt at West Battle Lake, and publisher Charles Underwood.

The former astronaut has fond memories of spending time at the family cabin along Girard Beach on the north side of West Battle Lake. The cabin was first purchased by his father, a Minnesota native. Schmitt has returned to the cabin in recent years, mostly during the month of August.

He talked about the future of U.S. space missions.

“The time has come,” said Schmitt, “for Americans to recognize that they have no choice but to be dominant in space. We forgot that after Apollo 17.”

He said that if a non-democratic regime replaces us in space, and particularly on the moon and then on Mars, liberty will be at great risk here on Earth. At the same time, he said, great scientific, technological and economic benefits will accrue to us and humankind.

“The moon, of course, also has the potential to supply clean, efficient fuel for helium-3 fusion power here on Earth,” said Schmitt, “and the relatively low cost supplies necessary to go on to Mars.”

Over the years Schmitt has graciously spoken to students and service groups in Battle Lake, Fergus Falls and in other area communities. He’s proud of the accomplishments of Vining native and astronaut Karen Nyberg who flew as part of a shuttle mission.

“I’ve always enjoyed interaction with students,” he said. “I especially enjoy visiting at middle schools.”

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