Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, the field geologist who became the first scientist to step onto the moon during Apollo, said in an interview with The Associated Press that people returning to the moon should see Apollo as a handoff to future generations. Recalling the moment he and fellow astronaut Gene Cernan stepped onto the lunar surface in 1972, Schmitt said he told Cernan over Mission Control’s radio link that the next generation ought to accept the landing as a challenge—leaving “footsteps like these” someday.
Schmitt, 90, said he felt that same sense of momentum when the Artemis II crew launched into space for a lunar flyby, which he described as “pure excitement” and as evidence that experience and risk can become real rather than simulated. He connected that readiness not only to technology but also to what he said people at ground control and in mission operations must learn over multiple generations, including psychologically as well as practically.
On the question of why build in the first place, Schmitt said a lunar base makes sense, first for geopolitical presence “in deep space,” and also because a base could help prepare for journeys toward Mars. He said moon resources could reduce the cost of going to Mars and add operational experience for crews, and he pointed to Artemis II as an early phase of that operational learning.
During Apollo 17, Schmitt said his mission was aimed at building on what other Apollo crews had already learned through sample analyses and adding what he described as “frosting on the cake” for a geologic setting in the Taurus-Littrow area. He said Taurus-Littrow was deeper than the Grand Canyon and that it offered a three-dimensional geology that crews had not had on other missions, and he said being a field geologist on board helped them collect samples with “meaningful aspect” for understanding the moon’s origin and its relationship to Earth. Schmitt also said the lunar record offers a way to look back at the solar system’s evolution, describing the moon as a “library of knowledge” about how the solar system formed about 4.5 billion years ago and what the sun has done over that span.
He said his recent research in lunar debris, or regolith, has pointed to the sun becoming more active about the same time as an explosion of life in Earth’s oceans. Schmitt said that pattern suggests oceans warmed during the period of higher solar activity, and he linked that warmth to an increase in life’s quantity and diversity, with mammals appearing later and life moving onto continents around roughly half a billion years ago.
Schmitt also discussed moon rock samples, describing one as a basalt lava and noting that it is rich in titanium. He said the titanium matters because it helps concentrate resources on the moon, particularly hydrogen and helium, and he singled out helium-3 as an isotope he expects could become important for future energy. He said helium-3 could be used in practical areas on Earth as well, including quantum computing and cancer therapy, while emphasizing that there is little of it on Earth compared with potential reserves in lunar material.
On energy specifically, Schmitt said helium-3 offers a possibility of nuclear energy “without nuclear waste,” adding that the moon could provide an opportunity to substitute for today’s energy sources. He also said he sees it as part of a broader “space race,” with interest from China alongside U.S. efforts.
Schmitt described the day-to-day work in Apollo 17’s low-gravity environment, saying the team operated in a valley with mountains as high as the Grand Canyon from the bottom and that the one-sixth gravity meant walking felt more like being a kid again. He said that while crew members wore pressure suits, the low gravity made tasks easier than on Earth and that falling carried less danger, though he also emphasized the need for life-support to breathe.
He said there were downsides, too. Schmitt described how in low gravity distractions and small habits can change, giving the example of taking notes and accidentally leaving a switch in midair—then having to retrieve it and resume dictation. He said the experience can make people “a little bit lazy,” including mentally, and he recalled taking several days after returning to Earth to feel comfortable again.
Asked about long-term living on the moon, Schmitt said he expects it would be “very good,” while adding that two major issues would need attention: radiation and the need to address how long trips to Mars would take. He said radiation can be dealt with and said fusion rockets would likely be needed to cut the time frame for Mars missions.
Schmitt also addressed whether life exists elsewhere and the rumors surrounding UFOs. He said there are billions of sunlike stars and that statistically it is plausible that life could originate elsewhere even if Earth’s conditions are “really unique,” and he said that if advanced visitors were actually here, they would likely communicate more clearly than they have. He described his view as “plausible” but “unlikely maybe,” and he added that “supernatural” ideas should be reframed as “unknown physics.”
In closing, Schmitt said he would take the opportunity to go back to the moon or to Mars, describing a condition tied to his wife, Teresa. He also said he sees education—especially in mathematics—as critical for the youth who will be tasked with carrying NASA’s exploration forward, and he said the growth of the commercial sector since Apollo has brought new technologies that NASA now is working to integrate into a broader approach to deep-space exploration.
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