If anyone can offer advice to the four NASA astronauts slated to launch Wednesday on a trip around the moon, it’s Harrison Schmitt.Schmitt, 90, left his bootprints on the lunar surface in 1972, as part of Apollo 17 — the final mission in the program, which was the last time humans traveled to the moon.NASA’s Artemis II mission, which is scheduled to lift off as early as 6:24 p.m. Wednesday, aims to kick-start a new era of lunar exploration. The crew plans to circle the moon as a step toward a lunar landing in 2028 (similar to the way Apollo 8’s flight around the moon paved the way for Apollo 11).AdvertisementAdvertisementSchmitt expects the Artemis II astronauts to see some of the same otherworldly sights he did more than a half century ago.“Every day, every hour, every minute, is a new experience,” Schmitt said in an interview with NBC News.Schmitt today. (NBC News)(NBC News)As for what he’d tell the Artemis II crew: “Make sure that you’ve got your training down pat. Be ready for anything unexpected, but have a great time. Enjoy it.”Much has changed since Apollo 17. Schmitt and his fellow crew members were part of a space race against the Soviet Union. Today, NASA is competing with China, which hopes to land its own astronauts on the moon in 2030.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Apollo 17 astronauts spent nearly 13 days in space — more than three of those on the lunar surface. They notched the highest total distance traveled on the moon, driving a lunar rover a total of about 19 miles. They also gathered more geology samples than any other moon mission, bringing 243 pounds back to Earth.Astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt, lunar module pilot, aboard the Lunar Module LM prior to its liftoff from the Moon’s surface, in 1972. (Eugene A. Cernan / NASA) …
