He is one of the twelve “Moonwalkers”, the nickname given in the United States to these American astronauts who set foot on the Moon between 1969 and 1972 as part of the Apollo program.
When David Scott, 92, entered Venturi’s Monegasque laboratory this Monday, the look of the personalities and guests present exuded admiration and respect, almost veneration.
“Along with Charles Duke, Buzz Aldrin, Harrison Schmitt, he is one of the still living witnesses of this period, who we can touch, who we can talk to. They often say that they did this with a cowboy spirit, says Jean-François Clervoy, three manned space flights under the clock in the 1990s. They accepted that they had a 50/50 chance of not coming back. They had a lot of serious problems.”
Alongside Neil Armstrong during the Gemini 8 mission, then command module pilot on Apollo 9, David Scott was appointed commander of the Apollo 15 mission. Above all, he became, at the end of July 1971, the first astronaut to drive a rover on the Moon. The ancestor of “FLEX”, ultimately. (read above)
“Surprises on the lunar surface”
With the craft, the crew of astronauts explored more lunar territory than any of their predecessors: almost 30 kilometers.
“The Apollo 15 site was the best science site because it had the Hadley Fault and Mount Hadleytestifies the one who spent three days there, equipped with a battery of scientific instruments. We didn’t know if we could drive the rover, especially because of the presence of many rocks. We went off the road but it was not serious because, in reality, there are no roads up there. There are many surprises on the surface of the Moon. It is very irregular, bumpy everywhere with small and large craters. Nothing is level. It’s a real challenge to drive. Venturi will know when they get there.”
David Scott seemed impressed by the rover developed by Venturi Astrolab and its European partners Venturi Space (Monaco, France and Switzerland).
“Venturi Space takes on a very serious challenge. It is very different from the one I drove. It is much more imposing, functional and its operating life will be longer. It seems to me that the teams are doing a good job. I wish them good luckhe greets, before slipping. I would have liked to fly it but, I’m sorry, it’s too late.”
The one who sums up his lunar experience as “holiday memories” slips in a final, teasing piece of advice to future “Moonwalkers” who will pilot such a machine: “Drive carefully, be careful, wear your mask. Those are good rules, right?”
