David Scott
David Randolph Scott ( born June 6, 1932 in San Antonio, Texas, United States) is a former American astronaut and was the seventh of twelve private people who have walked on the moon.
Start of career
David Scott's father served in the Air Corps of the U.S. Army. From 1936 to 1939, the family lived in the Philippines, during World War II, the father served several years in Europe, so David and his brother were raised by his mother alone.
After the completion of the Western High School in Washington, DC Scott studied at the University of Michigan and the United States Military Academy at West Point. As the fifth- best of 633 graduates, he left it in 1954 with the title " Bachelor of Science". He was then trained at Webb Air Force Base in Texas as a pilot. Further stations were the Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas and Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.
From April 1956 to July 1960 Scott served as a jet pilot in Soesterberg in the Netherlands, where he flew combat aircraft of the type F -86 and F -100. After his return to the United States, he studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Aeronautics and Astronautics, where he ever received a Master of Science and Master of Engineering.
After his studies, he received a Commission as an instructor at the Air Force Academy, but Scott was able to assert that he was transferred to the Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base. After he had completed the course of his class, he went to the newly opened Aerospace Research Pilot School ( ARPS ) at Edwards. During a forced landing with a Starfighter he barely escaped with his life.
Gemini
Scott competed successfully at NASA as an astronaut and was presented on October 14, 1963 with 13 other astronauts as the third group of the public. As a specialty, he took over in February 1965, the mission planning and navigation.
On September 20, 1965 David Scott was assigned as a pilot for the Gemini 8 space flight. Scott would also perform a spacewalk during that flight. The allocation of Scott was amazing, because actually, it was expected that the replacement pilot of Gemini 5, Elliott Lake would nominated, but apparently it was feared that the lake had not grown a spacewalk. Thus, Scott came to a flight, without having been previously in a replacement team. He was the first of the third astronaut group, which was nominated for a flight.
Together with the commander Neil Armstrong, also a space novice, Scott launched on 16 March 1966 his first space flight. As planned, led Armstrong and Scott in Earth orbit to rendezvous with a previously launched Agena stage by. Then they succeeded for the first time in the history of space flight in orbit coupling.
However, due to a malfunction of steering the Gemini spacecraft fell heavily into the tumbling, which is still greater than the space ship from the Agena stage has been disconnected. Armstrong and Scott were in mortal danger, but the situation brought under control. As was consumed during this maneuver too much fuel, the spacecraft had to be canceled and an emergency landing can be initiated. Scott's spacewalk was omitted.
Apollo
Early planning
Even during the preparation for the flight of Gemini 8 Scott was planned in the Apollo program. On 25 December 1965 he was intended as a replacement pilot for the first manned Apollo flight, which was 8 officially confirmed on 21 March 1966 shortly after the landing of Gemini.
After a rescheduling Scott took place on December 22, 1966 as a pilot but the main occupation of the second manned mission again, in which the lunar module should be tested for the first time. All plans were laid but after the death of Apollo 1 astronauts on 27 January 1967 ice.
Apollo 9
On November 20, 1967, NASA announced further plans. Scott was now pilot of the Apollo spacecraft, the mission D, which should test the lunar module in Earth orbit. Originally this flight was Apollo 8 hot, but after a previously scheduled flight to the moon was inserted, the flight was given the name Apollo 9
Along with Commander James McDivitt and Schweickart the lunar module pilot Russell Scott launched on 3 March 1969 that flight, in which for the first time a moon landing maneuvers were carried out. On March 6, Scott finally came to a spacewalk, although he was still connected with the life support systems of the spaceship. He stood an hour in the hatch of the command module and photographed Schweickarts exit.
On the fifth day of flying the Lunar Module with Schweickart and McDivitt was decoupled from aboard the command module, in which only Scott was. After testing the lunar module, the two space ships docked again, and Schweickart and McDivitt got back to Scott in the command module. Thus was Scott was also involved in the first manned docking of two spacecraft in orbit, in which the crew (unlike Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5) to have to do directly and without an exit, change.
Apollo 12 and 15
Shortly after the landing of Apollo 9, April 10, 1969 Scott was assigned as commander of the backup crew of Apollo 12. When Charles Conrad would have been, Scott had entered as the third man on the moon. But Scott was not used and served during the flight in November 1969 as a speaker connection ( Capcom ).
The backup crew of Apollo 12 As provided conveyed to the main crew of Apollo 15. Scott was thus the first astronaut of the third selection group, who took over command a space flight.
For this third flight, Scott started with James Irwin and Alfred Worden on July 26, 1971. On July 31, Scott entered as the seventh man on the moon. This was the first flight to the moon, in which the scientific side played a major role. Scott and Irwin stood for the first time, the lunar rover (LRV ) are available, making greater distances than previously could be covered.
Shortly before Scott and Irwin boarded back into the lunar module Falcon, Scott demonstrated with a falcon feather and a hammer, that the fall velocity of an object in a vacuum is independent of its mass.
The stamp affair
Shortly after landing, the entire crew of Apollo 15 had been assigned as backup crew for the final flight to the moon Apollo 17. In the course of the following year but their involvement in the stamp affair of Apollo 15 was known. Scott, Worden and Irwin had taken with envelopes for their flights, which were not specifically approved and which were later sold by a German dealer. Against Scott, Worden and Irwin disciplinary proceedings have been initiated, and on 23 May 1972, they were sold as backup crew for Apollo 17. It was clear that there would be no further space flight for Scott and his team, but they were neither condemned nor excluded from the astronaut corps, or even of NASA.
After the active time
In contrast to Irwin Scott initially stayed with NASA and worked at the NASA Flight Research Center, Dryden Flight Research Center later on the grounds of Edwards AFB. He was involved in the preparation of the Apollo -Soyuz project and traveled several times to the Soviet Union. When he was offered in April 1975, the management of the Dryden Research Center, he left the Air Force and was NASA employee.
In October 1977 Scott left NASA and founded his own company, Scott Science and Technology. In the following years, he worked as technical adviser in the film and TV industry multiple times: 1994/1995 for the movie Apollo 13, 1997 for the series "From the Earth to the Moon " and 2005 for the film " Magnificent Desolation ".
David Scott is divorced and has two children: Tracy ( b. 1961 ) and Douglas ( b. 1963 ). He lives and works in London for several years.