Dr. Harrison Schmitt

Biography

 Dr. Harrison Schmitt has a diverse professional background having served as a geologist, pilot, astronaut, businessman, writer and United States Senator. Selected for the Scientist-Astronaut Program in 1965. He served as a Mission Scientist in support of the Apollo 11 mission. After training as back-up Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 15, Dr. Schmitt flew in space as Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 17 – the last Apollo mission to the Moon. He was the only scientist and the last of twelve men to step onto the Moon. He served in the U.S. Senate, continues to work in science, aerospace and business, and chaired the NASA Advisory Council from 2005-2008. Schmitt serves as Adjunct Professor of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In addition to being active in considerations of space biomedical adaptation, he has worked in the biomedical field as Acting CEO for the Lovelace Medical Foundation and currently as a Director of PHDx Systems, a software developer and supplier for medical device outcomes. Schmitt is the author of “Return to the Moon” (Copernicus-Praxis 2006), a book advocating a private sector initiative to develop lunar helium-3 fusion power for use on Earth.

Research Interest

Science, aerospace and business