Masursky Lecture by Dave Scott Now Available on Livestream LPSC Archive

April 4, 2014

Attendees at the 45th Lunar and Planetary Science in March were given a rare treat when they were given the opportunity to hear the Monday afternoon Masursky Lecture presented by Apollo 15 Mission Commander Col. David R. Scott, USAF (Retired). His talk, entitled “Masursky’s Moon and the Science of Apollo 15,” discussed Harold (“Hal”) Masursky's contributions to Apollo 15, and the manner in which human exploration capabilities of today can be applied to four other specific lunar sites identified by Masursky and observed during Apollo 15.

Scott’s lecture is now available for viewing on the Livestream LPSC archive.

Fittingly, the talk was presented on March 17, which also marked the 48th anniversary of the Gemini VIII splashdown, in which Scott and fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong landed in the South China Sea following the completion of the mission.

Scott began his professional career after graduating fifth in his class at West Point in 1954. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, 1954; a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT, 1962; the degree of Engineer in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT, 1962; an Honorary Doctor of Astronautical Science degree from the University of Michigan, 1971; an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Southern Utah University, 1997; an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Brown University, 2011; and an Honorary Doctor of Science and Technology degree, Jacksonville University, 2013. He is a graduate of the USAF Experimental Test Pilot School, 1963, and the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School, 1964. In 1963 he was selected in the third group of NASA astronauts. During the next eight years he flew three space missions:  Gemini VIII, the first docking in space (March 1966); Apollo 9, the first test flight of all spacecraft and flight operations for the Apollo lunar mission (except landing) (March 1969); and Apollo 15 (July 1971), for which, as Commander, he received NASA’s highest award “For leading the most complex and carefully planned scientific expedition in the history of exploration . . .” Scott has logged more than 5600 hours flying time in 25 types of aircraft, helicopters, and spacecraft, and 546 hours in space (including more than 20 hours of extravehicular activity during five separate EVA excursions).

Scott held positions in NASA management for six years, becoming the Special Assistant for Mission Operations for the joint USA/USSR Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP). In 1975, he retired from the Air Force as a full Colonel to accept the civilian appointment as Director of the NASA Hugh L. Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, the prime NASA aeronautical flight research facility. After entering the private sector in 1978, Scott formed several U.S. corporations conducting business in the U.S. and England, activities of which included project management consulting, the development of an opto-electronic structural sensor, and commercial applications of space technology. After the loss of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986, he served for four years on the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) to advise the Secretary of Transportation on the conversion of military ICBMs to commercial Expendable Launch Vehicles (ELVs). He is currently President of the Baron Company, Ltd., a Bermuda company formed to pursue unique opportunities in the commercial space sector. He is the holder of 15 patents in the U.S., Europe, and Japan covering inventions in the areas of spaceflight operations and robotic planetary exploration.

For his accomplishments, Scott has been awarded three NASA Distinguished Service Medals, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1970, the National Aeronautics Association Robert J. Collier Trophy, 1971, the Air Force Association’s David C. Schilling Trophy, 1971, the Federation Aeronautique Internationale Gold Medal, 1971, and the United Nations Peace Medal, 1971.

 

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Last updated April 4, 2014