David Scott

David Scott
Born	David Randolph Scott 6 6, 1932
Birthplace	San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Test pilot, astronaut
Title	NASA Astronaut
Known for	Commander of Apollo 15, seventh person to walk on the Moon
Education	M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Children	2
Awards	NASA Distinguished Service Medal, Air Force Distinguished Service Medal

David Randolph Scott (born June 6, 1932) is an American retired test pilot, Air Force officer, and NASA astronaut who became the seventh person to walk on the Moon. A member of NASA's third group of astronauts selected in 1963, Scott flew three missions to space over a span of five years, culminating in his command of Apollo 15 in July 1971 — the fourth crewed lunar landing and the first of the extended scientific expeditions known as "J missions." Before joining NASA, Scott distinguished himself as a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and as a test pilot who logged more than 5,600 hours of flying time. His spaceflight career began aboard Gemini 8 alongside Neil Armstrong in 1966 and continued with Apollo 9 in 1969, a critical test of the Apollo Lunar Module in Earth orbit. On the lunar surface during Apollo 15, Scott and Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin spent three days conducting extensive geological exploration with the first Lunar Roving Vehicle, collecting samples that proved scientifically significant for decades. Scott retired from the Air Force with the rank of colonel in 1975 and from NASA in 1977, after which he pursued consulting work and contributed to several films about the space program. He is one of four surviving individuals who have walked on the Moon and the only living commander of a spacecraft that landed on its surface.

Early Life

David Randolph Scott was born on June 6, 1932, in San Antonio, Texas. He grew up in a military family; his father, Tom William Scott, was a career officer in the United States Air Force who eventually attained the rank of brigadier general. Growing up in military communities, the young Scott was exposed to aviation from an early age, which helped shape his interest in flying and the military.

Scott was active in the Boy Scouts of America during his youth, an experience that instilled discipline and outdoor skills that would later serve him well in both military and astronaut training.

Following in his father's footsteps, Scott pursued a military career by seeking admission to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He entered the academy and immersed himself in its rigorous academic and military training program.

Education

Scott graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree. His academic performance was strong, and his time at the academy prepared him for a career as a military officer and aviator.

After graduating from West Point, Scott continued his education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he earned both a Master of Science degree in aeronautics and astronautics and an Engineer in Aeronautics and Astronautics degree. His graduate work at MIT provided him with an advanced understanding of spacecraft design and orbital mechanics — knowledge that would prove essential during his career as an astronaut. Scott's thesis work at MIT was related to guidance and navigation, subjects directly applicable to the challenges of spaceflight.

Scott subsequently attended the Air Force Experimental Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, graduating with Class 62C, and later completed the Aerospace Research Pilot School as a member of Class IV. These programs trained him in the evaluation and testing of advanced and experimental aircraft, qualifying him as one of the Air Force's elite test pilots.

Career

Military Career

Upon graduating from West Point, Scott was commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force. He began his flying career as a fighter pilot, serving with units stationed in Europe, where he gained significant operational experience. After his tour of duty in Europe, Scott transitioned to the field of flight testing, attending and graduating from the Air Force's test pilot training programs at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

As a test pilot, Scott evaluated a variety of aircraft and logged extensive flying time. Over the course of his military aviation career, he accumulated more than 5,600 hours of flight time. His combination of combat flying experience, advanced engineering education from MIT, and test pilot credentials made him a strong candidate for the nation's astronaut corps.

Scott retired from the United States Air Force in 1975 with the rank of colonel.

NASA Selection and Gemini 8

In October 1963, NASA selected Scott as one of fourteen members of the third group of astronauts. His advanced engineering degrees and extensive test pilot experience made him well-suited for the demands of the space program during the Gemini and Apollo eras.

Scott's first spaceflight came on March 16, 1966, when he served as pilot of the Gemini 8 mission alongside command pilot Neil Armstrong. Gemini 8 achieved a significant milestone by performing the first successful docking of two spacecraft in orbit, linking the Gemini capsule with an unmanned Agena target vehicle. However, shortly after docking, the spacecraft began an uncontrolled roll caused by a stuck thruster on the Gemini capsule. Armstrong and Scott undocked from the Agena in an attempt to regain control, but the roll rate increased alarmingly, eventually reaching approximately one revolution per second. Armstrong managed to stabilize the spacecraft by activating the Reentry Control System, but this action required an early termination of the mission under mission rules. The crew splashed down in the western Pacific Ocean after spending just under eleven hours in low Earth orbit.

Scott had been assigned to perform an extravehicular activity (EVA) — a spacewalk — during the Gemini 8 mission, which would have made him the second American to walk in space. The emergency abort of the mission prevented this EVA from taking place.

Apollo 9

Scott's second spaceflight was as Command Module Pilot of Apollo 9, which launched on March 3, 1969. The mission crew consisted of Commander James McDivitt, Scott as Command Module Pilot, and Rusty Schweickart as Lunar Module Pilot. Apollo 9 was a ten-day mission conducted entirely in low Earth orbit, and its primary purpose was to perform the first crewed flight test of the complete Apollo spacecraft, including the Lunar Module (LM).

During the mission, McDivitt and Schweickart separated the Lunar Module from the Command Module and flew it independently, testing its propulsion systems and demonstrating the rendezvous and docking procedures that would be critical for lunar landing missions. Scott remained aboard the Command Module Gumdrop during these maneuvers, piloting the spacecraft and conducting the rendezvous operations necessary to rejoin with the Lunar Module Spider.

Scott also performed a stand-up EVA during Apollo 9, opening the Command Module hatch and extending his upper body outside the spacecraft to retrieve thermal experiment samples and photograph the Lunar Module. The mission was considered a complete success and validated the Lunar Module's performance in space, clearing the way for the lunar orbit test of Apollo 10 and ultimately the Apollo 11 lunar landing later that year.

Apollo 15: Commander of the Fourth Lunar Landing

Following Apollo 9, Scott served as backup commander for Apollo 12 in November 1969. Under NASA's crew rotation system, this positioned him for a prime crew assignment several missions later. Scott was designated commander of Apollo 15, which launched on July 26, 1971.

Apollo 15 represented a significant advancement in the Apollo program's capabilities. It was the first of the "J missions" — extended lunar surface expeditions designed to maximize scientific return. The mission carried a larger Scientific Instrument Module (SIM) bay in the Service Module for orbital science experiments and, for the first time, included a Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), a battery-powered car that allowed the astronauts to travel much farther from the Lunar Module than on previous missions.

Scott and Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin landed the Lunar Module Falcon near Hadley Rille, a sinuous channel on the lunar surface at the base of the Apennine Mountains, one of the most geologically complex landing sites attempted during Apollo. Command Module Pilot Alfred Worden remained in lunar orbit aboard the Command Module Endeavour, conducting scientific observations and photography of the lunar surface from orbit.

Scott and Irwin spent approximately three days on the lunar surface, conducting three extravehicular activities (EVAs) on the surface in addition to a stand-up EVA that Scott performed shortly after landing, during which he stood in the upper hatch of the Lunar Module to survey and photograph the surrounding terrain. Using the Lunar Roving Vehicle, they traversed a total distance of approximately 27.9 kilometers (17.3 miles) across the lunar landscape, visiting geological features including Hadley Rille, the Apennine Front, and several craters.

One of the most scientifically important discoveries of the mission was the collection of a sample known as the "Genesis Rock" (sample 15415), a piece of anorthosite that was estimated to be approximately 4 billion years old, providing insights into the early formation of the lunar crust.

During one of the televised EVAs, Scott famously performed a demonstration inspired by Galileo's principle that objects of different masses fall at the same rate in the absence of air resistance. Standing before the television camera, Scott simultaneously dropped a hammer and a feather on the airless lunar surface, and both objects struck the ground at the same time, visually confirming Galileo's hypothesis in a memorable scientific demonstration.

Over the course of the three surface EVAs, Scott accumulated significant EVA time on the Moon. In total across his career — including the stand-up EVA on Apollo 9 and his five EVAs on Apollo 15 (one stand-up and three surface EVAs, plus one by Worden during the return trip) — Scott logged 20 hours and 46 minutes of EVA time. His total time in space across three missions was 22 days, 18 hours, and 54 minutes.

Postal Covers Incident

Following the successful return of Apollo 15 to Earth, Scott and his crewmates — Irwin and Worden — became embroiled in a controversy that damaged their standing with NASA. It was disclosed that the three astronauts had carried approximately four hundred unauthorized postal covers to the Moon. A portion of these covers had been arranged to be sold by a West German stamp dealer, with proceeds intended for the astronauts. Although the astronauts stated that they intended to set the money aside for their children's education, the arrangement violated NASA regulations regarding the commercialization of spaceflight artifacts.

The disclosure of the unauthorized postal covers led to disciplinary consequences for all three crew members. None of the Apollo 15 astronauts flew in space again. The incident prompted NASA to implement stricter policies regarding personal items carried aboard spacecraft.

Post-Astronaut Career at NASA

Despite the postal covers controversy, Scott continued to serve NASA in an administrative capacity. He was appointed director of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center (now the Armstrong Flight Research Center) at Edwards Air Force Base in California. In this role, Scott oversaw the center's research programs in aeronautics and flight testing.

Scott departed NASA on September 30, 1977, ending a fourteen-year career with the agency.

Post-NASA Career

After leaving NASA, Scott remained active in aerospace and space-related endeavors. He worked on various space-related projects and served as a consultant to the entertainment industry on films depicting the space program. Among his consulting credits was the 1995 film Apollo 13, directed by Ron Howard. His technical expertise and firsthand experience as an Apollo astronaut provided filmmakers with authentic details about spacecraft operations and the experience of spaceflight.

Scott also co-authored a book about the space program, drawing on his extensive experiences from Gemini through Apollo to provide an insider's perspective on one of the most significant chapters in the history of exploration.

Personal Life

David Scott has two children. He has maintained a relatively private personal life following his retirement from NASA and the Air Force. Scott has resided in various locations throughout his career, consistent with his military and NASA service obligations.

Scott was previously involved in the Apollo 13 backup crew training cycle and developed professional relationships with many of the prominent figures of the American space program, including his Gemini 8 command pilot Neil Armstrong, who would become the first person to walk on the Moon just three years after their shared mission.

Recognition

Scott has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to aviation and spaceflight. He received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal for his service as an astronaut. His military decorations include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal and other service awards reflecting his career as a fighter pilot and test pilot.

In recognition of his achievements in space exploration, Scott was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame at the New Mexico Museum of Space History.

Scott is also honored by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which was established by Mercury astronauts and later expanded to include astronauts from subsequent programs. The foundation recognizes Scott among its member astronauts who have contributed to science and engineering education.

The United States Air Force Academy has recognized the contributions of its affiliated astronauts, including graduates of its predecessor test pilot programs such as those Scott attended at Edwards Air Force Base, as part of the broader legacy of the Air Force in space exploration.

Legacy

David Scott's career spanned the most active period of American human spaceflight, from the early two-person Gemini missions through the Apollo lunar landings. His role on Gemini 8, despite the mission's emergency, demonstrated the adaptability and composure required of astronauts when confronting life-threatening malfunctions in orbit. The successful docking achieved during that mission was a critical milestone in the development of rendezvous and docking techniques later used during Apollo.

As Command Module Pilot of Apollo 9, Scott played an essential role in validating the complete Apollo spacecraft system in Earth orbit. The mission's success in testing the Lunar Module under crewed conditions was a prerequisite for the lunar landing missions that followed.

Scott's command of Apollo 15 represented a high point in lunar exploration. The use of the Lunar Roving Vehicle for the first time significantly expanded the range and scientific productivity of surface operations. The geological samples collected during the mission, particularly the Genesis Rock, contributed to scientific understanding of the Moon's formation and early history. His Galileo demonstration with the hammer and feather became one of the iconic moments of the Apollo program, widely reproduced in educational materials and documentaries.

The postal covers incident that followed Apollo 15 marked a more complicated chapter in Scott's career and led to lasting changes in NASA's policies regarding astronaut conduct and the commercialization of space memorabilia. Despite this controversy, Scott's contributions to the space program — as a pilot, engineer, commander, and later administrator — remain a significant part of the history of American spaceflight.

As of 2026, Scott is one of only four surviving individuals who walked on the Moon, and the sole surviving commander of a lunar landing mission, placing him in an increasingly rare category of individuals with direct experience of the lunar surface.