Astronauts With Scouting Experience

The following article was suggested by long time IEEE HOU Section member Walter Hyde. The following article is being shared for educational purposes only. IEEE nor the Houston Sections takes any additional rights to this article being shared. 

All but one Astronaut who walked on the moon had a Scouting background.  A significant number  of the Astronauts, both women and men, have a Scouting background:

Astronauts With Scouting Experience


Of the 312 pilots and scientists selected as astronauts since 1959, at least 207 have been identified as having been Scouts or active in Scouting.  The list includes 39 Eagle Scouts, 25 Life Scouts, 14 Star Scouts, 26 First Class Scouts, 17 Second Class Scouts, 13 Tenderfoot Scouts, 3 Explorers, 25 Cub Scouts, 10 Webelos Scouts, 1 King’s Scout, 2 Wolf Scouts, and 32 with unknown ranks, including 27 who were Girl Scouts.

Of the 24 men to travel to the moon on the Apollo 9 through Apollo 17 missions , 21 were Scouts, including 10 of the 12 men who physically walked on the moon’s surface, and all three members of the crew of Apollo 13. Three travelled to the Moon twice.

All three of the astronauts who died in the Apollo 1 fire, four of the seven who died in the Challenger launch explosion, and five of the seven who died in the Columbia re-entry explosion were Scouts.

Eagle Scouts

ADAMSON, James C.**
ARMSTRONG, Neil A.* First man to walk on the Moon
during the Apollo 11 mission – July 20, 1969
BAGIAN, James P.**
BLUFORD, Guion S. Jr.**
BOWERSOX, Kenneth D.
BRADY, Charles E.**
CARR, Gerald P.**
CARTER, Manley Lanier “Sonny” Jr.*
CHAFFEE, Roger B.* Died in the Apollo 1 fire on Jan 27, 1967
CHAMITOFF, Gregory Errol
COVEY, Richard O.**
CREIGHTON, John O.**
DUKE, Charles M., Jr.**  Walked on the Moon during the Apollo 16 mission
EISELE, Donn F.*
FORRESTER, Patrick G.
FOSSUM, Michael E.
FULLERTON, Charles G.**
GREGORY, William G.**
GRIGGS, S. David*
HOFFMAN, Jeffrey A.**
JOHNSON, Gregory H.
JONES, Thomas D.**
LEE, Mark C.**
LIND, Don L.**
LINDSEY, Steven W.
LOVELL, James A. Jr.** Flew to the moon on the Apollo 8 and Apollo 13 missions
McCOOL, William C.* Died during the re-entry of Columbia on Feb 1, 2003
McCULLEY, Michael J.**
O’LEARY, Brian T.**
ONIZUKA, Ellison S.* Died when Challenger exploded on Jan 28, 1986
OSWALD, Stephen S.**
PARAZYNSKI, Scott E.
PETTIT, Donald R.
REIGHTLER, Kenneth S. Jr.**
SEARFOSS, Richard A.**
SEE, Elliot M. Jr.*
TANNER, Joseph R.
TRULY, Richard H.**
WALKER, David M*

King’s Scout (equivalent to Eagle Scout)

LLEWELLYN, John A.**

Life Scouts

ANDERS, William A.** Flew to the moon on the Apollo 8 mission
BAKER, Michael A.
BASSETT, Charles A. II*
BRAND, Vance D.
BRIDGES, Roy D. Jr.
BROWN, David M.* Died during the re-entry of Columbia on Feb 1, 2003
CASPER, John H.**
COOPER, L. Gordon Jr.*
EVANS, Ronald E.* Orbited the moon on Apollo 17
FABIAN, John M.**
GARDNER, Guy S.**
GIVENS, Edward G. Jr.*
GREGORY, Frederick D.**
KREGEL, Kevin R.**
LOW, G. David**
MATTINGLY, Thomas K. II** Orbited the moon on Apollo 16
McARTHUR, William S. Jr.
MITCHELL, Edgar D.** Walked on the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission
POINDEXTER, Alan G.
ROBINSON, Stephen K.
SCOTT, David R.** Walked on the Moon during the Apollo 15 mission
SPRING, Sherwood C.**
SPRINGER, Robert C.**
VAN HOFTEN, James, D. A.**
WILLIAMS, Clifton C. Jr.*

Star Scouts

BARRY, Daniel T.
CAMERON, Kenneth D.**
ENGLAND, Anthony W.**
FISHER, William F.**
GARRIOTT, Owen K.**
GIBSON, Robert L.**
GORDON, Richard F. Jr.** Orbited the moon on Apollo 12
GRISSOM, Virgil I.* (Gus) Died in the Apollo 1 fire on Jan 27, 1967
HAISE, Fred W. Jr.** Flew to the moon on the Apollo 13 mission
LOUNGE, John M. “Mike”**
McNAIR, Ronald E.* Died when Challenger exploded on Jan 28, 1986
NOGUCHI, Soichi
STAFFORD, Thomas P.** Orbited the moon on Apollo 10
WILLIAMS, Jeffrey N.

First Class Scouts

ALLEN, Joseph P.**
ANDERSON, Clayton C.
BEAN, Alan L.**  Walked on the Moon during the Apollo 12 mission
BLOOMFIELD, Michael J.
CAMARDA, Charles J.
CLIFFORD, Michael R.**
COATS, Michael L.**
EDWARDS, Joe F. Jr.**
ENGLE, Joe H.**
FOREMAN, Michael J.
FREEMAN, Theodore C.*
GARDNER, Dale A.**
GIBSON, Edward G.**
HAMMOND, L. Blaine Jr.**
HENIZE, Karl G.*
LINNEHAN, Richard M.
NELSON, George D.**
OEFELEIN, William A.
OVERMYER, Robert F.*
REILLY, James F.
SCHIRRA, Walter M. Jr.**
SCHWEICKART, Russell L.**
SCOTT, Winston E.**
SHEPARD, Alan B. Jr.* Walked on the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission
VEACH, Charles Lacy*
WORDEN, Alfred M.** Orbited the moon on Apollo 15

Second Class Scouts

ALTMAN, Scott D.
BOLDEN, Charles F. Jr.**
BUCHLI, James F.**
CARPENTER, M. Scott**
CERNAN, Eugene A.** Orbited the moon on Apollo 10, and
Walked on the Moon during the Apollo 17 mission
CULBERTSON, Frank L. Jr.**
HERRINGTON, John B.**
HUSBAND, Rick D.* Died during the re-entry of Columbia on Feb 1, 2003
MULLANE, Richard M.**
PARKER, Robert A. R.**
POGUE, William R.**
SHRIVER, Loren J.**
SWIGERT, John L. Jr.* Flew to the moon on the Apollo 13 mission
THORNTON, William E.**
WHITE, Edward H. II* Died in the Apollo 1 fire on Jan 27, 1967
WOODWARD, Neil W. III
YOUNG, John W.** Orbited the moon on Apollo 10 and
Walked on the Moon during the Apollo 16 mission

Tenderfoot Scouts

ALDRIN, Buzz** Walked on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission
BURSCH, Daniel W.
FRICK, Stephen N.
GARAN, Ronald J. Jr.
HAWLEY, Steven A.
KOPRA, Timothy L.
LOUSMA, Jack R.**
LOVE, Stanley G.
McDIVITT, James A.**
MICHEL, F. Curtis**
RICHARDS, Paul W.**
SCHMITT, Harrison H.** Walked on the Moon during the Apollo 17 mission
SMITH, Steven L.

Explorers

BARRATT, Michael R.
O’CONNOR, Bryan D.**
WILLIAMS, Donald E.**

Girl Scouts (Rank Unknown)

CAGLE, Yvonne D.
CLARK, Laurel B. * Died during the re-entry of Columbia on Feb 1, 2003
COLLINS, Eileen M.
CURRIE, Nancy J. **
DAVIS, N. Jan **
FISHER, Anna L.
HELMS, Susan J.
HIGGINBOTHAM, Joan E.
HIRE, Kathryn P.
HUGHES FULFORD, Millie **
JEMISON, Mae
JERNIGAN, Tamara E. **
KILRAIN, Susan L. **
LAWRENCE, Wendy B.
MAGNUS, Sandra H.
MCARTHUR, K. Megan
McCAULLIFFE, Christa * Died when Challenger exploded on Jan 28, 1986
METCALF-LINDENBURGER, Dorothy M.
MORGAN, Barbara R.
NOWAK, Lisa M.
RESNICK, Judith A. * Died when Challenger exploded on Jan 28, 1986
SEDDON, Margaret Rhea **
STEFANYSHYN-PIPER, Heidemarie M.
SULLIVAN, Kathryn D. **
THORNTON, Kathryn C **
VOSS, Janice E.
WEBER, Mary Ellen **

Webelos Scouts

ANDERSON, Michael P.* Died during the re-entry of Columbia on Feb 1, 2003
DREW, Alvin B.
FINCKE, Edward Michael
FORD, Kevin A.
GORIE, Dominic L.
KELLY, James M.
LORIA, Christopher J.
MASSIMINO, Michael J.
NORIEGA, Carlos I.
OLIVAS, John D.

Cub Scouts

ALLEN, Andrew M.**
BROWN, Curtis L. Jr.**
BURBANK, Daniel C.
CAREY, Duane G.**
CONRAD, Charles Jr.* Walked on the Moon during the Apollo 12 mission
DUFFY, Brian**
GERNHARDT, Michael L.
HADFIELD, Chris A.
HENRICKS, Terence T.**
HOBAUGH, Charles O.
KELLY, Mark E.
KELLY, Scott J.
LEESTMA, David C.**
LOPEZ-ALEGRIA, Michael E.
McBRIDE, Jon A.**
MEADE, Carl J.**
MUSGRAVE, Story**
PHILLIPS, John L.
READDY, William F.**
ROMINGER, Kent
SHEPHERD, William M.**
THOMAS, Donald A.
THUOT, Pierre J.**
WILLIAMS, Dafydd (David) Rhys
WOLF, David A.

Wolf Scouts (equivalent to Cub Scout)

FOALE, Michael C.
SELLERS, Piers J.

Scout Rank Unknown

BULL, John S.**
HARRIS, Bernard A. Jr.**
MORIN, Lee M.
POLANSKY, Mark L.
VOSS, James S.**

* Deceased
** Retired

Information above was taken from BSA, NASA, and GSUSA records, and is current as of February 8, 2007.  More information can be found at http://www.scouting.org/Media/FactSheets/02-558.aspx 
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/OEP/girlscouts/Activity9_10/Act%2010_%20Girl%20Scout%20Astronauts.pdf 
http://www.gsvsc.org/gsalumnae.htm and
http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/outreach/gsusa/gsusa_astro.html

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