WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — As the nation counts down to the launch of a new era in spaceflight, a Palm Beach County woman is remembering the strides her father made nearly 50 years ago.
Kimberly Mitchell is the daughter of Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell, one of only 12 men who walked on the moon.
Touching down 238,000 miles from home, Edgar Mitchell landed a lunar module on the moon on Feb. 5, 1971.
As Apollo 14's lunar module pilot, Mitchell helped collect nearly 100 pounds of lunar rock and soil samples that were distributed across the United States and more than a dozen other countries for analysis.
According to the NASA website, the crew was also the first to transmit color TV from the lunar surface.
The celebrated astronaut lived in Palm Beach County and received a long list of accolades over the course of his life, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.
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In addition to his outstanding achievements as a NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy captain, Mitchell is also remembered for his desire to educate young people.
"When it came to something for kids, there was nothing my dad wouldn't say 'yes' to," Kimberly Mitchell said. "Anything I ever asked him to do for kids, he would say 'yes.'"
Mitchell was passionate about encouraging children to explore the unknown and follow their dreams.
"That made him happy every day," she said. "He woke up and got out of bed for the opportunity to reach a lot of young people's minds."
Edgar Mitchell donated a moon rock to the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium in West Palm Beach, where it remains on display.
Mitchell's epiphany about "universal connectedness" is still a cornerstone of conversation today.
He wrote about the concept of "oneness" he discovered during his mission.
"The molecules inside of him and his crew are the same as the space capsule that they were sitting in," Kimberly Mitchell explained about his realization. "To have that perspective is powerful."
Kimberly Mitchell also shared a quote for which her father is famously remembered: “We are stardust and we are all one, in that sense.”
Edgar Mitchell died on Feb. 4, 2016, in West Palm Beach, at the age of 85.
He passed away on the eve of the 45th anniversary of his lunar landing.