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Then he worked with other astronauts so that they could be “act-
ing” geologists on the first Moon missions. By training his fellow space
travelers to see some of what he could see in the rocks and dust of the
moon, he expanded the team’s ability to bring science back to Earth.
In 1972, Schmitt was part of the last manned mission to our near-
est neighbor. After landing on the Moon in Apollo 17, Schmitt explored
the surface. He was the first to discover evidence of volcanoes on the
Moon. He gathered rocks and took pictures of the various rock features.
Having a real expert on hand added greatly to our knowledge of how
the Moon was formed.
This closeup image of Moon rocks was taken during Apollo 17’s mission. A hammer used by Schmitt
to gather samples can be seen toward the bottom of the image.