Ed Mitchell walked on the moon in 1971. He described it as feeling like walking through loose sand on a beach—but in a big, stiff suit, and with a helmet that limited his view. Mitchell flew to the moon aboard Apollo 14. While Stuart Roosa remained in the command module, he and Al Shepard descended to the lunar surface. They completed two moonwalks, collecting over 42 kilos of moon rocks. After his mission, Ed became a frequent figure on television, seeking to bridge the gap between science and spirituality. He made several striking statements, including his belief that Earth had been visited by extra-terrestrial life. Ed Mitchell passed away in 2016 at the age of 85. Did you know this about Ed? As a teenager, he suffered from hay fever. Therefore, he decided not to take over his family's farm and instead pursued an engineering degree. Before Ed was chosen as an astronaut in 1966, he was a fighter pilot in the US Navy. He was supposed to fly the Apollo 13 mission, but due to ear problems with his colleague Alan Shepard, he ended up on Apollo 14. Together with his colleague Shepard, Ed walked 1.4 kilometres across the moon. That is still the longest distance covered on foot there. Ed Mitchell founded an institute dedicated to researching noetic science—the idea that thoughts and beliefs can influence the physical world. He received a special award from US President Richard Nixon: the Medal of Freedom. The Apollo 11 and 12 moon landings could only be seen in black and white. Ed took a colour camera to space for the first time.