David Scott
He drove a lunar rover across the Moon's surface, turning a scientific expedition into a bold exploration of alien geography.
Born 1932 (age 94)·American astronaut and lunar explorer·Birthday: June 6·The Silent Generation
Biography
David Scott's path to the Moon was carved from a blend of sharp intellect and test pilot grit. A West Point graduate with a master's in aeronautics, he was selected by NASA in 1963. His first spaceflight, Gemini 8, nearly ended in disaster when a thruster stuck open, forcing an emergency abort—a crisis he and Neil Armstrong calmly resolved. He later orbited the Earth on Apollo 9, testing the lunar module. But his defining moment came as commander of Apollo 15. There, on the Hadley Plain, Scott became a field geologist, using the first Lunar Roving Vehicle to traverse farther than any previous crew. His deliberate, televised demonstration of a hammer and feather falling at the same rate in the vacuum of space was a sublime lesson in physics for millions back home. After NASA, he pursued business and advisory roles, but his legacy remains etched in lunar dust, a symbol of the Apollo program's daring blend of science and exploration.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
David was born in 1932, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1932
#1 Movie
Grand Hotel
Best Picture
Grand Hotel
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1932Born
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1937Started school
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1945Became a teenager
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1948Could drive
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1950Could vote
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1953Turned 21
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1962Turned 30
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1972Turned 40
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1982Turned 50
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 60
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 70
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 80
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2026Age 94 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Commanded the Apollo 15 mission, the first to use the Lunar Roving Vehicle for extensive scientific exploration.
- Performed the famous hammer-and-feather experiment on the Moon to demonstrate Galileo's theory of gravity.
- Was the first person to drive on the lunar surface, covering over 17 miles in the rover.
- One of only four astronauts to fly both a Gemini and an Apollo mission to the Moon.
- Served as the Director of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center after his astronaut career.
Did You Know?
He carried a small statue called 'The Fallen Astronaut' to the Moon and left it there as a memorial to deceased space explorers.
His Apollo 15 spacesuit is on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
He was the first astronaut to graduate from the University of Michigan with a master's degree in aeronautics.
A small piece of the original Wright Brothers' Flyer fabric was carried with him to the Moon.
““As I stand out here in the wonders of the unknown at Hadley, I sort of realize there’s a fundamental truth to our nature: Man must explore.””
