30 Facts About Rusty Schweickart

Russell Louis "Rusty" Schweickart is an American aeronautical engineer, and a former NASA astronaut, research scientist, US Air Force fighter pilot, as well as a former business executive and government executive.

Rusty Schweickart was the Lunar Module Pilot on the 1969 Apollo 9 mission, the first crewed flight test of the lunar module, on which he performed the first in-space test of the portable life support system used by the Apollo astronauts who walked on the Moon.

Rusty Schweickart left NASA in 1977 to serve for two years as California Governor Jerry Brown's assistant for science and technology, then was appointed by Brown to California's Energy Commission for five and a half years, serving as chairman for three.

Rusty Schweickart served for a period as its chair before becoming its chair emeritus.

Rusty Schweickart was born October 25,1935, in Neptune Township, New Jersey, and grew up on a "hardscrabble" farm of 45 acres producing hay and vegetables plus raising poultry and cows.

Rusty Schweickart was active in the Boy Scouts of America.

Rusty Schweickart's family's stated annual income when he received his Massachusetts Institute of Technology scholarship after graduating high school was listed as $1800.

Rusty Schweickart served in the US Air Force and Massachusetts Air National Guard from 1956 to 1963, with over 4,000 hours of flight time, including 3,500 hours in high performance jet aircraft.

Rusty Schweickart was chosen as part of NASA Astronaut Group 3 in October 1963.

Rusty Schweickart spent just over 241 hours in space, and performed the first extravehicular activity of the Apollo program, testing the portable life support system that was later used by the twelve astronauts who walked on the Moon.

Rusty Schweickart subsequently practiced Transcendental Meditation based on his experience.

The protracted testing period contributed to Rusty Schweickart not being assigned to the Apollo 12 backup crew.

Rusty Schweickart came to regard this as a "thankless position" and a "very hard sell" to potential clients due to their intrinsic resistance to new processes; this and the dearth of immediate flight opportunities ultimately precipitated his departure from NASA in 1977.

Rusty Schweickart then served for two years as California Governor Jerry Brown's assistant for science and technology before being appointed by Brown to the California Energy Commission for five and a half years.

Rusty Schweickart chaired the ASE's near-Earth object committee, which produced a benchmark report and submitted it to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on Asteroid Threats: A Call for Global Response.

Rusty Schweickart retired from ALOHA Networks, Inc in 1998 where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer from 1996 through 1998.

Rusty Schweickart was formerly the Executive Vice President of CTA Commercial Systems, Inc and Director of Low Earth Orbit Systems.

Rusty Schweickart led CTA's efforts in developing the GEMnet system, a second generation LEO communication satellite constellation designed to provide regular commercial electronic messaging services on a global basis.

Rusty Schweickart served at the 1995 WRC as a US delegate.

Rusty Schweickart worked extensively in Russia and the former Soviet Union on scientific and telecommunications matters.

In May 2005 Rusty Schweickart testified before the US Congress on the dangers of an asteroid impact related to 99942 Apophis.

Rusty Schweickart has spoken and taught at the Esalen Institute, and currently serves as the B612 Foundation's Chair Emeritus.

Rusty Schweickart is a fellow of the American Astronautical Society and the International Academy of Astronautics, and an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Rusty Schweickart is an honorary trustee and a fellow of the California Academy of Sciences.

Rusty Schweickart was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and the Federation Aeronautique Internationale De la Vaulx Medal for his Apollo 9 flight.

Rusty Schweickart received the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Special Trustees Award in 1969 for transmitting the first live TV pictures from space.

In 1973, Rusty Schweickart was awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal for his leadership role in the Skylab rescue efforts.

Rusty Schweickart was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1983 and the US Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997.

In 1892, his grandfather Jacques Rusty Schweickart emigrated from Lembach, a small town located in Alsace, France, to the United States.

Rusty Schweickart appeared in the television series The Universe in the episodes "The End of the Earth: Deep Space Threats to Our Planet" and "Stopping Armageddon".