It was 50 years ago when former New Mexico senator Harrison Schmitt walked on the moon as part of the Apollo 17 space flight.
The milestone was commemorated during a recent gathering where Schmitt recalled that special moment in time.
“It was really quiet, the experience the whole mission was an experience,” he told a small crowd at the KIVA radio station, quoted by KOB 4.
In total, 12 Americans have walked on the moon. The Apollo 17 mission included Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module pilot Ronald B. Evans, and Schmitt, who served as the Lunar Module pilot. It was the last Apollo mission NASA sent to the moon.
“I feel very proud that I was involved,” Schmitt said. “When NASA and the National Academy of Sciences put out a request for volunteers for the astronaut program, I thought about 10 seconds then raised my hand.”
Schmitt, now 87, was a geologist working at the Geological Survey office in Flagstaff, Ariz., when he learned about the astronaut program. His geological background led to him finding evidence of volcanic activity on the moon.
The Apollo 17 mission was 13 days from takeoff to touchdown, with little time spent on the moon.
“We had 3 days on the moon, 3 days of exploration total time outside the spacecraft was 22 hours,” Schmitt said of his time in space.
A video camera they set up on a lunar rover captured the moments the Apollo 17 capsule took off from the moon’s surface.
When the crew finally returned to earth, the Silver City resident received a hero’s welcome.
“In fact, as I walked across the bridge of the Ticonderoga, a young sailor came up to me and said, ‘I’m from Silver City,” Schmitt said with a chuckle. “So, my hometown was represented on the Ticonderoga!”
It was the first and last time Schmitt went to space, and he said it was an experience of a lifetime.