“SHARPENING THE SCIENTIFIC DEBATE”
Harrison “Jack” Schmitt is an American geologist and a former NASA astronaut, university professor, and U.S. Senator. He is the twelfth and last person to walk on the Moon; he and his crewmate Eugene Cernan were the last two to walk there. Cernan was the last person to walk on the moon (when they left), but Schmitt was the last person to leave the lunar module and step on the moon (when they arrived). In August 1975, Schmitt resigned from NASA to seek election as a Republican to the United States Senate representing New Mexico. He served one term and, notably, was the ranking Republican member of the Science, Technology, and Space Subcommittee. Since his Senate term, he has been a consultant in business, geology, space, and public policy. Schmitt is chair of the NASA Advisory Council, whose mandate is to provide technical advice to NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin. Schmitt is an adjunct professor of engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the founder and serves as chairman of Interlune Intermars Initiative Inc., an organization whose goal is to advance the private sector’s acquisition and use of lunar resources.
