An Astronaut In Iceland

One of the last men to walk on the moon is currently in Iceland, and amongst his plans is to visit where he and his fellow astronauts once stayed 47 years ago.

RÚV reports that Harrison Schmitt, an astronaut on the Apollo 17 launch and one of the last men on the moon (as evidenced above), is in Iceland – in Húsavík, to be exact. This isn’t his first visit, either.

Schmitt first came to Iceland in 1967, where he and other astronauts trained for walking on the moon by conducting tests in some of the more lunar-inspired landscapes in the country. He has reportedly been excited to return ever since.

Schmitt has been keeping himself busy during his visit. He fielded questions from primary school children, remarking afterwards that “young people always ask the more interesting questions.” Schmitt, who used to be a US Senator, also requested to see Iceland’s parliament, and was reportedly given a guided tour by parliamentary president Einar K. Guðfinnsson.

Schmitt also intends to visit the place in Þingeyjarsýsla county where he and his fellow astronauts stayed during their moon training in Iceland.

“Iceland just keeps on changing,” he remarked. “New volcanoes and new rivers from the glaciers keep coming. It’ll be interesting to see how things have changed [in Þingeyjarsýsla].”