David Scott facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Scott
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Scott in 1971
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| Born |
David Randolph Scott
June 6, 1932 San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
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| Awards |
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| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Brigadier General, USAF |
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Time in space
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22d 18h 54m |
| Selection | NASA Group 3 (1963) |
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Total EVAs
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5 Stand-up EVA on Apollo 9 4 EVAs on Apollo 15 (1st EVA was a stand-up, while 3 EVAs were on the lunar surface) |
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Total EVA time
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20h 46m |
| Missions | |
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Mission insignia
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| Retirement | September 30, 1977 |
David Randolph Scott (born June 6, 1932) is an American retired test pilot and NASA astronaut. He was the seventh person to walk on the Moon.
Scott was chosen as an astronaut in 1963. He flew into space three times. He was the commander of Apollo 15, which was the fourth mission to land on the Moon. David Scott is one of only four living people who have walked on the Moon. He is also the only living commander of a spacecraft that landed there.
Before becoming an astronaut, Scott went to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He then joined the Air Force. He flew fighter jets in Europe. Later, he became a test pilot. He retired from the Air Force in 1975. By then, he had flown for over 5,600 hours.
Scott's first space flight was on Gemini 8 in March 1966. He flew with Neil Armstrong. They spent almost eleven hours in orbit around Earth. He would have been the second American to walk in space, but the mission had to end early. In March 1969, Scott spent ten days in orbit on Apollo 9. He was the Command Module Pilot. This mission tested the Apollo spacecraft.
After being a backup astronaut for Apollo 12, Scott made his last space flight. He commanded the Apollo 15 mission. This was the fourth time humans landed on the Moon. Scott and James Irwin stayed on the Moon for three days. After returning to Earth, Scott and his crew faced some issues. This was because they had carried 400 unauthorized postal covers to the Moon. Scott later worked as a director at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. He retired from NASA in 1977. Since then, he has worked on many space projects. He also advised on films about space, like Apollo 13.
Contents
Early Life and School
Scott was born on June 6, 1932, in San Antonio, Texas. His father, Tom William Scott, was a fighter pilot. He became a brigadier general. David's mother was Marian Scott. David spent his early years on air bases. In 1936, his family moved to Manila in the Philippines.
David's father was often away. So, David was sent to the Texas Military Institute. He spent summers in California. He was named after his father's friend, David Shattuck. David wanted to be a pilot like his father. He built many model airplanes. He loved watching war films about flying. When his father returned, David got to fly in a military plane. He said it was "the most exciting thing I had ever experienced".
David Scott was a Boy Scouts of America member. He reached the rank of Life Scout. His father was moved to March Air Force Base in California. David went to Riverside Polytechnic High School. He was on the swimming team and set records. Before he finished high school, his father moved again. David then graduated from Western High School in Washington, D.C., in 1949.
Scott wanted to go to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He got a swimming scholarship to the University of Michigan. He was an honor student in engineering. In 1950, he was accepted into West Point. He was a great swimmer there too.
Scott still wanted to fly. He wanted to join the new United States Air Force (USAF). He graduated from West Point in 1954. He was 5th in his class of 633 students. He earned a degree in military science. He then joined the Air Force.
Becoming an Air Force Pilot
Scott started pilot training in Arizona in July 1954. He finished his training in Texas in 1955. Then he learned gunnery skills.
From 1956 to 1960, Scott flew F-86 Sabres and F-100 Super Sabres in the Netherlands. The weather was often bad there. Once, he had to land his plane on a golf course. Another time, he barely made it to a Dutch base. He served during the Cold War. His squadron was on high alert during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. But they did not go into combat.
Scott wanted to become a test pilot. He was told to get a graduate degree in aeronautics. So, he went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He earned two degrees from MIT in 1962.
After MIT, Scott was supposed to be a professor at the Air Force Academy. But he wanted to go to test pilot school. He went to the Pentagon and got his orders changed. He was sent to Edwards Air Force Base.
Scott started at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School in July 1962. His teacher was Chuck Yeager, the first person to break the sound barrier. Scott looked up to Yeager and flew with him often. Scott was the top pilot in his class. He then went to the Aerospace Research Pilot School. This is where Air Force astronauts trained. He learned to fly planes like the Lockheed NF-104A very high, up to 100,000 feet (30,000 m).
NASA Career
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In 1963, Scott applied to be a NASA astronaut. He thought it would be a short break from his military career. He expected to fly in space a couple of times. Then he would go back to the Air Force. He was chosen as one of fourteen astronauts in the third group.
Scott's first job at NASA was to help with the Apollo Guidance Computer at MIT. He spent most of 1964 and 1965 there. He also worked as a backup communicator (CAPCOM) during Gemini 4 and Gemini 5.
Gemini 8: First Docking in Space
After Gemini 5, Scott was told he would fly with Neil Armstrong on Gemini 8. This made him the first astronaut from his group to be on a main crew. Scott was highly respected for his flying skills.
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Scott and Armstrong worked well together. They spent seven months training. Scott practiced for a spacewalk on the "Vomit Comet". This plane flies in a way that makes you feel weightless.
On March 16, 1966, Armstrong and Scott launched into space. They were supposed to fly for three days. They successfully docked with an Agena rocket. This was the first time two spacecraft docked in space. But after docking, the combined spacecraft began to spin. Mission Control could not help them at that moment. The astronauts thought the Agena was causing the problem. But it was their own spacecraft's thrusters firing unexpectedly.
The spacecraft was spinning dangerously fast. The astronauts could have blacked out. They quickly shut down the faulty thrusters. Armstrong used the reentry thrusters to stop the spin. Mission rules said that if these thrusters were used early, the mission had to end. So, Gemini 8 splashed down in the Western Pacific Ocean on the same day. The mission lasted only ten hours. Scott's spacewalk was canceled.
Even in an emergency, Scott showed great calm. He made sure NASA could still control the Agena rocket from Earth. This allowed the Agena to be used for another mission. NASA recognized Scott's skill. Five days after the flight, he was assigned to an Apollo crew. Scott and Armstrong received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. The Air Force gave Scott the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was also promoted to lieutenant colonel.
Apollo 9: Testing the Lunar Module
Scott was assigned as a backup pilot for Apollo 1. This mission was planned for February 1967. He worked with Jim McDivitt and Russell Schweickart. They spent a lot of time at the North American Rockwell plant. This is where the command and service module (CSM) was being built.
In January 1967, Scott's crew was chosen for a later Apollo mission. On January 27, a fire killed the Apollo 1 crew during a test. The hatch could not be opened from the inside. After the fire, all flights were stopped. Scott helped design a new, simpler hatch that opened outwards.
Later, Scott's crew was assigned to Apollo 8. This mission was meant to test the full Apollo spacecraft, including the Lunar Module (LM). But the LM was not ready. So, NASA decided Apollo 8 would go to the Moon without the LM. Scott's crew would fly Apollo 9 instead. This mission would test the spacecraft in Earth orbit. It was called "a test pilot's dream".
As the command module pilot for Apollo 9, Scott had big responsibilities. The LM would separate from the CSM. If it failed to return, Scott would have to fly the spacecraft alone for reentry. This was usually a three-person job. He also had to be ready to rescue the LM crew if they had problems.
The launch was set for February 28, 1969. But it was delayed because all three astronauts had colds. NASA was careful about astronauts getting sick in space. The launch happened on March 3, 1969. Soon after launch, Scott performed a key maneuver. He flew the CSM Gumdrop away from the rocket stage. Then he turned Gumdrop around and docked with the LM Spider. This was important for future Moon landings.
On the third day, Schweickart felt sick. He was supposed to do a spacewalk from the LM to the CM. This would prove it could be done in an emergency. But because he was sick, he just exited the LM. Scott stood in the CM's hatch. He took photos and brought in experiments. On March 7, McDivitt and Schweickart flew the LM Spider away from the CSM. Scott stayed alone in Gumdrop. He was the first American astronaut to be alone in space since the Mercury program. After they docked again, Spider was released. The LM had flown over 100 miles (160 km) from the CSM.
Scott did most of the command module tests for the rest of the mission. Schweickart called these days "Dave Scott's mission". Apollo 9 splashed down on March 13, 1969. It landed less than four nautical miles (7 km) from the ship USS Guadalcanal.
Apollo 15: Walking on the Moon
Scott did very well on Apollo 9. On April 10, 1969, he was named backup commander for Apollo 12. Al Worden was the command module pilot. James Irwin was the lunar module pilot. This crew was then chosen for Apollo 15. Scott watched Apollo 11 land on the Moon from Mission Control. His old crewmate, Neil Armstrong, was the commander. The crew of Apollo 15 was announced on March 26, 1970.
Apollo 15 was the first "J Mission". These missions focused on science. They had longer stays on the Moon. They also used the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), a Moon buggy. Scott was interested in geology. He took his crew on field trips with geologist Lee Silver. Scientists debated where Apollo 15 should land. Scott argued for the Hadley Rille area, and he won. As the launch neared, Scott made training more like being on the Moon. They used mock backpacks and a training LRV.
Apollo 15 launched on July 26, 1971. The trip to the Moon went smoothly. Scott and Irwin went down to the Moon in the LM Falcon. This was on July 30. Scott controlled the landing. The computer path was off, but Scott took manual control. He landed Falcon successfully in the right spot.
After landing, Scott and Irwin put on their helmets and gloves. Scott did the first and only stand-up EVA on the Moon. He poked his head and upper body out of the LM's top hatch. He took photos of the area. He also checked the ground they would drive on. They then set up the LRV. Scott drove with Irwin towards Hadley Rille. Scott was amazed by the view. A TV camera on the Rover, controlled from Earth, showed their work. Scott and Irwin collected Moon samples. One rock was named Great Scott after him. They returned to the LM to set up the ALSEP, which were experiments that would keep running.
The next day, August 1, they explored Mount Hadley Delta. At Spur Crater, they found a famous Moon rock. It was a plagioclase-rich anorthosite. This rock was from the early Moon's crust. The press later called it the Genesis Rock. On August 2, they had their last moonwalk. It was cut short by problems getting a core sample. On their way back to the LM, Scott did a famous experiment. He dropped a hammer and a feather for the TV camera. He showed that in a vacuum, they fall at the same speed. This proved Galileo's theory.
Scott then drove the LRV to a spot where the camera could see Falcon take off. He left a memorial for astronauts and cosmonauts who had died. It was a plaque with their names. There was also a small aluminum sculpture called Fallen Astronaut. After this, Scott went back into the LM. Soon, Falcon lifted off from the Moon.
Apollo 15 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on August 7, 1971. This crew was not quarantined after returning. They were flown to Houston. After debriefing, they went on tours and met with leaders. Scott wished they had been quarantined. He felt it would have given them time to recover.
After the Moon Mission
The crew had carried unauthorized postal covers to the Moon. This was for a friend named Horst Eiermann. They were supposed to get about $7,000 each. But they did not get approval for these items. Scott carried the covers in his spacesuit. They went to the Moon with the astronauts. Scott sent 100 covers to Eiermann. In late 1971, a German stamp dealer sold the covers. The astronauts returned the money.
In April 1972, NASA found out about the covers. Scott, Worden, and Irwin were removed as backup crew for Apollo 17. The issue became public in June 1972. NASA and the Air Force criticized the astronauts for poor judgment. The covers they still had were taken by NASA. But in 1983, they were returned to the astronauts.
NASA said the astronauts' actions would affect their future assignments. This meant they were unlikely to fly in space again. Scott said that Alan Shepard, head of the Astronaut Office, gave him a choice. He could back up Apollo 17 or work on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. This was the first joint mission with the Soviet Union. Scott chose the latter.
NASA Management Role
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Scott traveled to Moscow for the Apollo-Soyuz project. He met Alexei Leonov, the Soviet commander. They later wrote a book together. In 1973, Scott was offered a job at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. This was at Edwards, a place Scott loved. He could fly planes that reached the edge of space. He also reconnected with Chuck Yeager there.
On April 18, 1975, Scott became the Center Director at Dryden. This was a civilian job. To take it, Scott retired from the Air Force in March 1975. He was a colonel. Scott found the work exciting. But with budget cuts and the end of Approach and Landing Tests for the Space Shuttle, he decided to leave NASA. He retired on September 30, 1977.
After NASA
After leaving NASA, Scott started his own company, Scott Science and Technology, Inc. He worked on government projects. These included designing astronaut training for a possible Air Force Space Shuttle. One of his companies closed after the 1986 Challenger disaster. The company was not involved in the disaster. But changes to the shuttle design removed his company's role. After Challenger, Scott advised the Secretary of Transportation on using ICBMs as launch vehicles.
Scott was a commentator for British TV during the first Space Shuttle flight in 1981. He also advised on the film Apollo 13. He consulted for the 1998 HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon. Scott also advised on the 3D IMAX film Magnificent Desolation (2005). He is one of the astronauts in the 2007 documentary In the Shadow of the Moon.
From 2003 to 2004, Scott advised on the BBC TV series Space Odyssey: Voyage To The Planets. In 2004, he and Leonov started writing a book. It was about the "Space Race" between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The book, Two Sides of the Moon, was published in 2006. Neil Armstrong and Tom Hanks wrote introductions for it. Scott has also worked on science teams for lunar orbiters. He has also worked on research for exploring the Moon and Mars.
Scott took two Bulova timepieces to the Moon without permission. He wore one on his third EVA after his NASA watch broke. He sold the Bulova watch in 2015 for $1.625 million. The company then sold similar watches. Scott sued them in 2017 for using his name and image. The case was settled in 2018. In 2021, Bulova released a special watch for the 50th anniversary of Apollo 15.
Personal Life
In 1959, Scott married Ann Lurton Ott. They had two children. They divorced in 2001. He later married Margaret Black. David Scott and Margaret Black-Scott live in Los Angeles.
Awards and Honors
Scott and Armstrong received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 1966 for their Gemini flight. Scott also got the Distinguished Flying Cross. The Apollo 9 crew received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. Scott also earned the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal for Apollo 9.
The Apollo 15 crew also received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. Scott earned his second Air Force Distinguished Service Medal for Apollo 15. In September 1971, Chicago held a parade for the Apollo 15 crew. New York City also honored them with a parade. The U.N. Secretary General gave them the first United Nations Peace Medal. The Apollo 15 crew also won the 1971 Robert J. Collier Trophy. Scott received several awards from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale for his role in Apollo 15. He received his third NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 1978.
Scott, Worden, and Irwin received honorary degrees from the University of Michigan in 1971. Scott received an honorary degree from Jacksonville University in 2013.
Scott is a member of many groups. These include the American Astronautical Society and the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
In 1982, Scott was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1993.
On August 23, 2024, he was given an honorary promotion to brigadier general. This was for his service to the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and as director of the Dryden Flight Research Center.
Images for kids
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Gemini 8 logo
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Apollo 9 logo
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Apollo 15 logo
