LOGAN — Harrison Schmitt, the first scientist to work on the moon, is scheduled to speak at Utah State University on Tuesday.

A geologist, Schmitt was the pilot of the Apollo 17 lunar module, which landed on the moon Dec. 11, 1972. The excursion was the sixth and last of the moon landings. On the moon with Schmitt was astronaut Eugene A. Cernan.

According to a NASA information site on the Internet, "During their stay on the moon, the astronauts set up scientific experiments, took photographs and collected lunar samples. The LM (lunar module) took off from the moon on 14 December and the astronauts returned to Earth on 19 December."

Schmitt is a pioneer in the space program, a gifted scientist and a successful entrepreneur, said USU's president, Kermit L. Hall. To have a scientist of his caliber visit the campus is a credit to the extraordinary research and work of the university, he added.

In a press release distributed by USU, Hall noted that USU's Space Dynamics Laboratory is internationally recognized.

Schmitt will give his lecture, "A Trip to the Moon and Beyond," Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. The talk will be in USU's new Engineering Building, Room 103.

Schmitt also is scheduled to meet with employees of the Space Dynamics Laboratory Tuesday at 1 p.m.

"SDL is excited to have Dr. Schmitt share his expertise with our employees," Steve Hansen, deputy director of the lab, said in the press release. "SDL has been involved with space science and research for more than 40 years.

"As fellow scientists, we look forward to a visit from the only scientist who has walked on the moon."