How a lunar commander's unauthorized stamp venture ended his career in the astronaut corps

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: David Scott, the seventh human to walk on the Moon, commanded the first mission focused on scientific discovery. Yet, his legacy was complicated by a secret plan to carry hundreds of postal covers to the lunar surface, a decision that ultimately derailed his future flight opportunities with NASA.

Born in 1932, David Scott was a career military pilot who graduated near the top of his class at West Point. His path to the Moon began as a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base, where he trained under Chuck Yeager. Selected for NASA's third astronaut group in 1963, Scott quickly established himself as a highly competent pilot, notably maintaining his composure during the emergency abort of Gemini 8 in 1966.

By 1971, Scott commanded Apollo 15, the first mission to utilize the Lunar Roving Vehicle. During this expedition, he conducted extensive geological research, including the discovery of the famous Genesis Rock. He also famously demonstrated Galileo's gravity theory by dropping a hammer and a feather in the lunar vacuum. However, the mission is also remembered for the crew's decision to carry 400 unapproved philatelic items to the Moon.

The controversy erupted when a West German dealer began selling these covers in 1971. Although the astronauts returned the money, NASA reprimanded the crew in 1972 for poor judgment. This scandal led to their removal from the Apollo 17 backup crew and effectively ended Scott's active flight career. He later served as director of the Dryden Flight Research Center before retiring from NASA in 1977 to enter the private sector.

Scott's post-NASA life included consulting and business ventures, though he faced legal challenges in the 1990s regarding investor fraud. Despite the professional fallout from the postal cover incident, his technical contributions to the Apollo program—ranging from hatch design to lunar surface operations—remain a significant part of space history.

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