From a family of seamen,
Martin Pinzon was trained as an accomplished
sailor and ship's pilot.
NEW WORLD SAILING EXPERIENCE:
Vicente Pinzon captained the
Nina, one of Columbus's vessels
on the voyage of discovery of the New World. His vessel
returned Columbus to Spain after the
Santa Maria sank.
THE CREW
PERSONAL DATA:
The total of officers and men was 87 with 39 aboard
the Santa Maria,
26 on the Pinta, and 22 on the Nina.
Though most of the
men were Basques and Andalusians, some were from
other locations in
Spain and foreign companies (Portugal, Genoa, and Venice).
Assembling
the crew was not easy. The effort fell primarily on
Martin Alonso Pinzon.
Some historians view Pinzon as something of a pirate
whose persuasion
included remarks like, "Why continue living so poorly
(in poverty), when
we may find houses with gold roofs?"
Columbus's crew had four-hour work shifts. These were
timed by eight turns of the half-hour
ampolletas
(sandglasses). Among their duties were pumping bilge, deck
cleaning, setting the sails and
adjusting ropes and watching after the cargo.
Having no bunks, off duty, they slept
anywhere they could find space, usually on the deck.
The intensity of Columbus's resolve caused him to
spend days without sleep though
he had private quarters with a bed.
Because of the hardness of typical sailor's lives,
disease, hunger, or thirst might bring on
an early death. Worship of God was a very important part of their lives. Each day began
with prayers and hymns and concluded with evening worship
services. A single hot meal was served each day. The meal was cooked over an open fire in a
sandbox on deck. This meal typically consisted of a ship's biscuit, pickled or salted meat, dried peas,
cheese, wine, and fresh-caught fish.
The Crew of Apollo 17
The Crew of Apollo 17
Left to right: Schmidt, Cernan, Evans
Myth: The Apollo astronauts never went to the Moon. The
journey was a cleverly executed simulation conducted in an isolated
part of the Southwest.
Fact: The Moon rocks returned from their missions are
enough evidence by themselves that they had reached a New World.
There are no rocks on Earth like them in composition.
COMMANDER
Eugene Cernan
(foreground)
PERSONAL DATA:
Born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 14,
1934.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
Gray hair; blue eyes; height: 6 feet;
weight: 190 pounds.
EDUCATION:
Graduated from Proviso Township
High School in Maywood,
Illinois; received a bachelor of science degree in
Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in
1956 and a master of science degree in Aeronautical
Engineering from the U. S. Naval Postgraduate School,
Monterey, California; recipient of an Honorary
Doctorate of Law degree from Western State University
College of Law in 1969, an Honorary Doctorate of
Engineering from Purdue University in 1970, and
Drexel University in 1977. Petroleum Economics and
Management Seminar, Northwestern University, 1978.
EXPERIENCE:
Cernan, a retired United States Navy Captain,
received his commission through the Navy ROTC
Program at Purdue. He entered flight training
upon graduation and was assigned to Attack
Squadrons 26 and 113 at the Miramar, California,
Naval Air Station, and subsequently attended the
Naval Postgraduate School.
He has logged more than 5,000 hours flying time
with more than 4,800 hours in jet aircraft and
over 200 jet aircraft landings.
SPACE EXPERIENCE:
Flew on Gemini 9, Apollo 10, and Apollo 17. Cumulative
hours of space lfight are more than 566. Cumulative EVA time
is more than 73 hours.
LUNAR MODULE PILOT
Dr. Harrison H. Schmidt (Ph.D.)
(left background)
PERSONAL DATA:
Born July 3, 1935, in Santa Rita,
New Mexico.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
Black hair; brown eyes; height:
5 feet 9 inches;
weight: 165 pounds.
EDUCATION:
Graduated from Western High School,
Silver City, New Mexico; received a bachelor
of science degree in science from the
California Institute of Technology in 1957;
studied at the University of Oslo in Norway
during 1957 and 1958; and received a doctorate
in geology from Harvard University in 1964.
EXPERIENCE:
Schmitt was a teaching fellow at
Harvard in 1961 where he assisted in
teaching a course in ore deposits.
Prior to his teaching assignment, he
did geological work for the Norwegian
Geological Survey on the west coast
of Norway, and for the U.S. Geological
Survey in New Mexico and Montana. He
also worked for two summers as a
geologist in southeastern Alaska.
Before joining NASA, he was with the
U.S. Geological Survey's Astrogeology
Center at Flagstaff, Arizona. He was
project chief for lunar field geological
methods and participated in photo and
telescopic mapping of the moon, and
was among USGS astrogeologists instructing
NASA astronauts during their geological
field trips.
He has logged more than 2,100 hours
flying time, including 1,600 hours
in jet aircraft.
SPACE EXPERIENCE:
Flew on Apollo 17. Cumulative
hours of space flight are
more than 301. Cumulative EVA time
is more than 22 hours.
COMMAND MODULE PILOT
Ronald E. Evans
(right background)
PERSONAL DATA:
Born November 10, 1933,
in St. Francis, Kansas.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
Brown hair; brown eyes; height:
5 feet 11 inches; Weight: 170 pounds.
EDUCATION:
Graduated from Highland Park High School
in Topeka, Kansas; received a Bachelor of Science
degree in Electrical Engineering from the University
of Kansas in 1956 and a Master of Science degree in
Aeronautical Engineering from the U.S. Naval
Postgraduate School in 1964 .
EXPERIENCE:
When notified of his selection to the astronaut
program, Evans was on sea duty in the Pacific,
assigned to VF-51 and flying F8 aircraft from
the carrier USS TICONDEROGA during a period of
seven months in Vietnam combat operations.
He was a combat flight instructor (F8 aircraft)
with VF124 from January 1961 to June 1962 and,
prior to this assignment, participated in two
WESTPAC aircraft carrier cruises while a pilot
with VF-142. In June 1957, he completed flight
training after receiving his commission as
an Ensign through the Navy ROTC Program at
the University of Kansas. Total flight time
accrued during his career is
5,500 hours, 5,000 hours of which is
in jet aircraft.
SPACE EXPERIENCE:
Flew on Apollo 17. Cumulative
hours of space flight are more than 301. Cumulative EVA time
is more than 1 hour.
Died April 6, 1990, in Scottsdale, Arizona, of a heart attack.
Questions
1. How old does Columbus appear in the composite morph painting
shown above? What period of his life would this have been?
2. Compare the ages of the Apollo 17 crew with the age of Columbus
when he set forth to find a route to Asia by sailing westward.
3. What characteristics do the paintings of Columbus have in common?
Why do the paintings have these traits in common if none of the
artists had seen Columbus or a photo or posed portrait of him?
Return to Home Port Mate.
Last modified: Monday, 28-Aug-00 04:00:00 PM CDT
Author: Jerry Woodfill / NASA, Mail Code ER7, jared.woodfill1@jsc.nasa.gov
Curator: Cecilia Breigh, NASA JSC ER7
Responsible Official: Charles Gott, NASA JSC ER7
Automation, Robotics and Simulation Division, Walter W. Guy,
Chief.
