Edgar D. Mitchell is an American astronaut, aeronautical engineer, and physicist who was the sixth person to walk on the Moon.
Raised in Arizona, Mitchell was recognized as one of the top students in his high school. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1956 with a degree in engineering. He then entered the U.S
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Air Force where he became a test pilot and served as an astronaut on NASA's Apollo program. Mitchell was an expert in spacecraft thermal control systems, which helped him land Apollo 14 on the Moon on February 11, 1971, becoming the sixth human to orbit Earth and live there for 30 days.
Mitchell is also known for his scientific development of the Apollo Lunar Surface Gravimeter (ALSEP), an instrument he co-developed which performed lunar gravity measurements during Apollo 17. This instrument has been used to produce precise results about the mass of core samples collected by the astronauts on the Moon whose mass would have been impossible to accurately determine without it. The conclusions have been repeatedly confirmed by independent laboratories worldwide.
He has written best-selling books about leadership, space exploration, and his experiences as an astronaut including EVA: My First Space Walk which includes his experience of being an astronaut.
Mitchell's published works have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. He is listed in Marquis' Who's Who of American Women and Who's Who in America . He has won numerous awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom (highest civilian award), two NASA Distinguished Service Medals, six NASA Space Flight Medals, two Congressional Space Medals of Honor Awarded to him by Congress, The first American Astronaut Hall of Fame Award, Kentucky Colonel John T.
Wilder Award, Japan Astronaut Award (Japan), Japan Society for Science and Technology Gold Medal (Japan), International Astronautics Federation Gold Medal (International) and The International Aerospace Hall of Fame Award (International). He received honorary doctorates from over forty universities throughout United States and Europe including MIT , UCL , The University of Louisville , Stanford , Duke , Allegheny College , University of Louisville , University of Kentucky , Texas Tech University , Kent State University , Bowling Green State University , University of Minnesota Duluth and was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World for 1993 .