Astronaut recalls trip

Astronaut Harrison Schmitt -- whose fellow Apollo 17 crew members were the last people to walk on the moon -- recalled his extraterrestrial experiences last week in a lecture at the University Museum. During the lecture, "A Field Trip to the Moon," Schmitt, a former U.S. senator who is now a geologist at the University of Wisconsin, illustrated his lunar mission using slides. He also discussed his impressions of his trip to the moon and ideas he has for the future of the space program. Schmitt noted that the federal government should make more of an effort to use lunar resources. "I see no prudent reason to use fossil fuels any longer than we have to," said Schmitt, who also speculated that the next space mission to the moon would be funded by the private sector. The Apollo missions to the moon -- beginning with Apollo 11 and culminating with Schmitt's mission -- were a means to secure "protection of our civilization from what seemed to be a legitimate threat," Schmitt said in reference to the "threat" of Soviet cosmonauts beating American astronauts to the moon. Working as a field geologist during the lunar mission, Schmitt strove to improve the understanding of the geology and resource potential of the moon. Recounting the success of Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 mission, Schmitt noted that "had we not returned after Apollo 11, we would not have been in a much better position to understand the Earth, the moon and the planets than we would have been in before the Apollo explorations." Schmitt also praised Armstrong for being a "great observer" who collected countless samples of the lunar surface for further research. As the astronauts of Apollo 17 "headed off through a sunrise," they embarked on their 240,000-mile journey to the moon. After several days in space, Schmitt and the other crew members approached and orbited the moon. Schmitt said that when his lunar landing module touched down on the moon, it was like "landing in a valley deeper than the Grand Canyon." After 75 hours on the moon -- 22 of which were spent doing field work on the surface -- Schmitt left the moon. He and the Apollo 17 crew were the last humans to touch the lunar surface. But Schmitt said the U.S. must reestablish its presence on the moon and Mars, and a return to the moon would provide a bridge to reaching Mars -- which Schmitt said is vital to the earth's future. But Schmitt also noted that the Apollo missions were not fail-proof. Prior to their mission, the astronauts went to the desert and jungle for a survival school in case the landing back on Earth was off target, Schmitt recalled in one of many anecdotes. However, Schmitt said both his lunar mission and his landing were flawless.