fbpx

KidsKonnect

Harrison Schmitt Facts & Worksheets

Harrison Schmitt is an American geologist, astronaut, politician and teacher.

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /People /Figures /Harrison Schmitt Facts & Worksheets
Premium
Harrison Schmitt Worksheets
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

Harrison Schmitt is an American geologist, astronaut, politician and teacher. He is best known for being part of the Apollo 17 mission, the last mission to visit the surface of the moon.

See the fact file below for more information on the Harrison Schmitt or alternatively, you can download our 26-page Harrison Schmitt worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BACKGROUND

  • Harrison Schmitt spent approximately 22 hours and 5 minutes on the surface of the moon. Much of his time on the moon was spent collecting samples of rocks and dirt during extravehicular exploration (EVA).
  • Extravehicular exploration is carried out using a vehicle called a “ lunar rover”. A lunar rover is an electrically powered vehicle with four wheels and one seat for the driver.

EARLY LIFE & EDUCATION

  • Harrison Schmitt was born on July 3, 1935 in Santa Rita New Mexico. He grew up in Silver City, New Mexico.
  • Schmitt went to school at California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he received a degree in Geology (1957).
  • After graduating from Caltech, Schmitt went on to conduct field studies for a year at the University of Oslo in Norway.
  • After leaving Norway, Schmitt returned to America and studied geology at Harvard University. He successfully obtained his PhD in geology from Harvard in 1964.
  • He then began working for the US Geological Survey’s Astrogeology Center in Flagstaff, Arizona. While working in this role, he was responsible for developing geological strategies that could be used in the field (or on the moon) by Apollo astronauts.
  • Shortly afterwards, in June 1965, Schmitt was approached by NASA to join the Apollo team.
  • Immediately after being asked to join the Nasa team, Schmitt began training to become a jet pilot with the United States Air Force.
  • Upon completing his jet pilot training with the United States Air Force, Schmitt began work training the other Apollo astronauts on how to properly conduct geological fieldwork on the moon’s surface.
  • Prior to being sent to the moon, Schmitt would analyze and examine samples brought back by previous Apollo missions.
  • Schmitt spent time learning how to work the command and service module (CSM) and lunar module (LM) systems. This enabled him to qualify to be the first scientist-astronaut space pilot.
  • Schmitt claims to have taken a famous photo of Earth from space called “The Blue Marble”.
  • The photo was taken on December 7, 1972 and shows the entire circle of the Earth from the North the the South Pole.

APOLLO 17 MISSION

  • Schmitt was originally scheduled to fly to the moon on Apollo missions 18 and 19; however, these missions were cancelled. NASA was insistent on having a qualified geologist examine the moon and changed their original lineup to allow Schmitt to fly with Apollo 17 instead.
  • The Apollo 17 mission launched on December 7, 1972 at 12:33 am. Approximately 500,000 people watched the launch of Apollo 17 at the Kennedy Space Center.
  • Schmitt visited the moon with fellow astronaut Gene Cernan. Together the pair completed a total of three moonwalks (EVAs). While exploring the surface of the moon, part of their mission was to visit nine predetermined geological survey stations. Schmitt was asked to use his geological training to find 12 additional short stops along the way to select samples.
  • Schmitt and his partner Cernan landed in a part of the Moon called the “Taurus-Littrow valley”. This is a section of the moon that used to have large active volcanoes and is ideal for collecting geological samples.
  • Schmitt collected many samples, including rocks, dried lava, and soil, from the surface of the moon.
  • The work done by Schmitt and his partner Cenan on the Apollo 17 mission helped to explain the historical and geographical timeline of the moon.
  • Apollo 17 returned to Earth on December 19, 1972. It was the final mission of the Apollo mission and the last time the Earth sent humans to the surface of the moon.

POLITICS

  • After returning from the moon in 1972, Schmitt continued to work for NASA for three years. He left his position at NASA on August 30, 1975.
  • Schmitt turned to politics and in 1975 he ran for the Republican Party in the New Mexico election. He campaigned for this election for fourteen months.
  • On June 1, 1976 Schmitt won the Republican Primary, and went on to win the election 57% to 42%.
  • Schmitt served in the Senate for one term. He ran for a second term in 1982 but was defeated, 54% to 46%.

DID YOU KNOW?

  • The Moon is approximately 384,400 km (238,855 miles) away from the Earth.
  • Schmitt was the only professional scientist to be sent to the moon. The majority of astronauts came from military backgrounds.
  • The Apollo mission was the first space launch to take place at night.
  • Schmitt was the second last person to walk on the moon. In total twelve people have walked on its surface.
  • The Apollo missions took place from July 1969 to December 1972.

POST POLITICS

  • Once Schmitt lost the Senate election in 1982, he began working as a consultant for geology, space, business, and public policy.
  • In 1997, Schmitt began working as a professor of engineering at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
  • Schmitt is enthusiastic about exploring space and commercializing essential resources in order to preserve the human species and the planet. Thus, in 1997, he proposed the “Interlune InterMars Initiative”.
  • Schmitt served on the NASA Advisory Council from 2005 until 2008. He left due to conflicting views on the cause of global warming. Schmitt argued in his resignation letter that global warming was not caused by human CO2 emissions.
  • Schmitt believes that going back to the moon would help speed up a man mission to Mars and help to explain the causes and effects of global warming.
  • Schmitt currently works as visiting Senior Research Scientist at the Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition.
  • On December 11, 2017, Schmitt partook in President Donald Trump’s signing of the Space Policy Directive-1. This document enables NASA as well as private sector partners to resume human flight to the Moon and beyond.
  • The Space Policy Directive-1 allows for new space businesses such as SpaceX to provide new ways for humans to travel through space.
  • In 2020 Schmitt turned 85 years old. He currently resides in his home town of Silver City, New Mexico.

Harrison Schmitt Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Harrison Schmitt across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Harrison Schmitt worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Harrison Schmitt who is an American geologist, astronaut, politician and teacher. He is best known for being part of the Apollo 17 mission, the last mission to visit the surface of the moon.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Harrison Schmitt Facts
  • See, Think, Wonder
  • Opinion Piece
  • Schmitt’s Space Crossword
  • Schmitt’s Lifeline
  • Word Scramble
  • Schmitt in Five Words
  • Mission for Truth
  • Interview with Harrison Schmitt
  • Words in Space
  • Career Highlights

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Harrison Schmitt Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, February 4, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources