Before his own flight, Schmitt helped train Apollo crews to observe, describe, and sample lunar terrain. His assignment to Apollo 17 reflected NASA's desire to place a professional geologist on the Moon before the program ended. Flying as Lunar Module Pilot with Gene Cernan and Ronald Evans, Schmitt landed in the Taurus-Littrow valley in 1972.

On the surface, Schmitt and Cernan completed three EVAs — open definition, drove the Lunar Roving Vehicle, collected samples, and investigated one of Apollo's most scientifically valuable landing sites. Schmitt became the twelfth person to walk on the Moon and the only Moonwalker without a military test-pilot background. After NASA, he entered politics and served as United States senator from New Mexico, carrying his space and science background into public service.

Schmitt's background fit the broader pattern of the early astronaut corps: technical training, operational discipline, and a career built around difficult work before spaceflight. His formal education included California Institute of Technology (B.S. Geology, 1957), University of Oslo (Graduate study in geology, 1957-1958), and Harvard University (Ph.D. Geology, 1964). His service background is recorded as Civilian scientist-astronaut, No military rank listed. His personal record also sits alongside a family life recorded as married, no children listed, a reminder that these careers unfolded within ordinary lives as well as national history.

Schmitt's flown space career centered on Apollo 17, where he served as Lunar Module Pilot. Final Apollo lunar landing mission, flown to the Taurus-Littrow valley. The mission included the only professional geologist to walk on the Moon and set Apollo records for lunar surface time and sample return — open definition. The EVA record adds another layer to the mission: About 22 hours, 4 minutes with Gene Cernan across three lunar surface EVAs.