Astronaut Profile
David Scott
Pilot
David Scott flew on Gemini 8's dramatic emergency flight, tested the Lunar Module on Apollo 9, and commanded Apollo 15, driving the first lunar rover on the Moon.
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Pilot • Living
Biography
The person behind the mission
David R. Scott was a U.S. Air Force test pilot selected in NASA's second group of astronauts. He flew as pilot on Gemini 8 in March 1966 alongside Neil Armstrong, a mission that achieved the first docking in space before a stuck thruster sent the spacecraft into a dangerous spin, forcing an emergency abort. Scott served as Command Module Pilot on Apollo 9 in 1969, and commanded Apollo 15 in 1971, becoming the seventh person to walk on the Moon and the first to drive a lunar rover across the surface.
Astronaut Details
Born
June 6, 1932
Birthplace
San Antonio, Texas, USA
Role
Pilot
Program
Gemini
Time in Space
22 days, 18 hours, 54 minutes
Missions
Gemini 8, Apollo 9, Apollo 15
Recognition
Awards & Honors
- Congressional Space Medal of Honor
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross