Edgar D. Mitchell

Edgar D. Mitchell
Name	Edgar D. Mitchell
Caption	NASA portrait
Type	NASA Astronaut
Nationality	American
Status	Deceased
Birth date	17 September 1930
Birth place	Hereford, Texas, U.S.
Death date	04 February 2016
Death place	West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Alma mater	Carnegie Institute of Technology (BS), United States Naval Postgraduate School (MS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (ScD)
Occupation	Test pilot, Aviator
Rank	Captain, United States Navy
Selection	1966 NASA Group 5
Time	9d 00h 01m
Mission	Apollo 14

Edgar D. Mitchell was an American astronaut, naval aviator, and test pilot who served as the Lunar Module Pilot on the Apollo 14 mission. He was the sixth person to walk on the Moon, conducting extensive scientific exploration on the lunar surface near the Fra Mauro formation. Following his career with NASA, he became widely known for his advocacy of parapsychology and his controversial views on UFOs and human consciousness.

Early life and education

Edgar Dean Mitchell was born in Hereford, Texas, and spent much of his youth in Roswell, a location later famous for its association with the Roswell UFO incident. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial management from the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in 1952. He subsequently joined the United States Navy and completed flight training, receiving his wings in 1954. Mitchell later earned a Master of Science in Aeronautical engineering from the United States Naval Postgraduate School and a Doctor of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964.

NASA career

Selected as part of NASA's fifth astronaut group in 1966, Mitchell served on the support crew for Apollo 9 and as the backup Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 10. His primary technical contributions during this period were in the development of lunar surface navigation and procedures. He was a key member of the Apollo 13 investigation team following that mission's near-disaster, helping to analyze the oxygen tank failure in the Service Module.

Apollo 14 mission

As the Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 14 in 1971, Mitchell flew to the Moon with Commander Alan Shepard and Command Module Pilot Stuart Roosa. Mitchell and Shepard landed the Lunar Module *Antares* in the Fra Mauro formation, the original target for the aborted Apollo 13. During two extra-vehicular activities, they deployed the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package, collected over 90 pounds of lunar rock samples, and Shepard famously hit golf balls with a makeshift club. Mitchell also conducted a private experiment in extrasensory perception during the trans-Earth coast, attempting to transmit mental images to individuals on Earth.

Post-NASA activities and views

After retiring from NASA and the United States Navy in 1972, Mitchell founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences to sponsor research into human consciousness and parapsychology. He became an outspoken proponent of the existence of UFOs, claiming the United States government had covered up evidence of extraterrestrial life since the Roswell UFO incident. These views, often expressed in interviews and books like *The Way of the Explorer*, placed him at odds with the mainstream scientific community and some former colleagues at NASA.

Personal life and death

Mitchell was married three times and had several children. In his later years, he lived in Lake Worth, Florida, and was an active lecturer and author. He died under hospice care in West Palm Beach, Florida, on February 4, 2016, at the age of 85, on the eve of the 45th anniversary of his Apollo 14 lunar landing.

Awards and honors

Mitchell's decorations include the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. He was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1979 and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997. Several schools and institutions bear his name, including the Captain Edgar D. Mitchell Elementary School in Coconut Creek, Florida.

Category:American astronauts Category:Apollo astronauts Category:United States Navy officers Category:1930 births Category:2016 deaths