Dr. Mitchell discusses the Apollo 14 mission and how that trip changed him and planted the seeds for his development of the IONS. Dr. Edgar Mitchell was an Apollo astronaut and one of the first men to walk on the moon. That experience led to his formation of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) more than 3 decades ago.
Edgar Dean Mitchell, D.Sc. (born September 17, 1930) is an American pilot, engineer, and astronaut. As the lunar module pilot of Apollo 14, he spent nine hours working on the lunar surface in the Fra Mauro Highlands region, making him the sixth person to walk on the Moon. Mitchell's interests include consciousness and paranormal phenomena. During the Apollo 14 flight he conducted private ESP experiments with his friends on Earth.[2] In early 1973, he founded the nonprofit Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) to conduct and sponsor research into areas that mainstream science has found unproductive, including consciousness research and psychic events.