Apollo 17 astronaut who walked on moon offers advice to NASA’s Artemis II crew

If anyone can give advice to the four NASA astronauts who are set to embark on a trip around the Moon on Wednesday, it’s Harrison Schmitt.

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Schmitt, 90, left his footprints on the lunar surface in 1972, as part of Apollo 17 – the program’s final mission, which was the last time humans traveled to the Moon.

NASA’s Artemis II mission, scheduled to lift off at 6:24 p.m. Wednesday, aims to launch a new era of lunar exploration. The crew plans to circle the Moon in preparation for a 2028 moon landing (the same way Apollo 8’s flight around the Moon paved the way for Apollo 11).

Schmitt expects Artemis II astronauts to see some of the same otherworldly views as more than half a century ago.

“Every day, every hour, every minute is a new experience,” Schmitt said in an interview with NBC News.

As for what he would say to the crew of the Artemis II: “Make sure you’ve done your training. Be prepared for anything unexpected, but have a good time. Enjoy it.”

Much has changed since Apollo 17. Schmitt and his fellow crew members were in a space race against the Soviet Union. Today, NASA competes with China, which hopes to land its own astronauts on the Moon in 2030.

The Apollo 17 astronauts spent nearly 13 days in space, including more than three on the lunar surface. They recorded the highest total distance traveled on the Moon, driving a lunar rover a total of about 19 miles. They also collected more geological samples than any other lunar mission, returning 243 pounds to Earth.

Schmitt said he would not forget entering lunar orbit in the dark, on the far side of the Moon that faces Earth.

“We were landing on the east side of the moon and the sun was just starting to rise,” Schmitt said. “Going into the darkness of the Moon was really something, because one of the things you notice immediately is that the Moon is illuminated by light from the Earth. The light has a bluish tint.”

The Artemis II astronauts will have a better view of the dark side of the Moon than the Apollo crews.

“It turns out that about 60 percent of the far side, I think, has never been seen by human eyes because of the lighting conditions,” Reid Wiseman, Artemis II mission commander, said at a press briefing Friday. “Apollo always wanted this light on the front side of the Moon for its landing and launch capability… We’ve seen it in satellite photos, but humans have never seen this before. It’s cool.”

The conclusion of Apollo 17 marked the end of American ambitions to maintain a human presence on the Moon for decades. NASA’s budget shrank in the 1970s, additional Apollo missions were canceled, and the United States prioritized work on space stations.

Unlike the Apollo program, NASA’s long-term goal with Artemis goes beyond brief visits to the Moon. The space agency hopes to build a lunar base to facilitate long-term stays, then eventually use that base as a springboard to Mars.

“It wouldn’t surprise me in anyone else’s life to see people there for months and years and to have an actual colony on the Moon,” Schmitt said. “March is achievable and I think we will continue.”

Why is he so sure? “We’re humans, that’s what we’ve always done,” Schmitt said.

“From the beginning of the human race in Africa until today, it has always developed. It is part of our being, our psychology,” he said.

When the Apollo 17 crew left the Moon, Commander Gene Cernan said, “We are leaving as we came, and, God willing, we will return, with peace and hope for all mankind.” »

If all goes as planned, Artemis II will be a major step in efforts to achieve this return. On the sixth day of their mission, the crew is expected to approach within about 6,000 miles of the lunar surface. Their path around the Moon could take them further from Earth than anyone has ever gone before.

“These types of flights are extremely important for the country,” Schmitt said. “China clearly wants to dominate space just as it wants to dominate activities on land. So this is a national effort that needs to be done well.”