David Scott is a graduate of the Air Force Experimental Test Pilots School and Aerospace Research Pilots School. Scott graduated fifth in a class of 633 at West Point. He chose an Air Force career, and completed pilot training at Webb Air Force Base, Texas, in 1955.

Scott then reported for gunnery training at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, and at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. Scott was assigned to the 32d Tactical Fighter squadron at Soesterberg Air Base (RNAF), Netherlands, from April 1956 to July 1960. Upon completing this tour of duty, he returned to he US for study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

David Scott retired from the Air Force in March 1975 with the rank of Colonel.

Astronauts David Scott and Neil Armstrong launched into space onboard the Gemini 8 spacecraft. The Gemini 8 crew performed the first successful docking of two vehicles in space, a procedure necessary for a lunar landing mission.

The Gemini 8 astronauts demonstrated great piloting skill when a malfunctioning thruster caused the docked vehicles to rotate wildly. The astronauts managed to unlock their Gemini spacecraft and gain control.

The flight of Gemini 8 was supposed to last three days but was terminated early. The astronauts brought the craft down safely in an emergency splashdown, on March 17, 1966

David Scott served as command module pilot for Apollo 9.

The crew of Apollo 9 demonstrated support facilities for the crew, the spacecraft, and the mission during this Earth orbital flight, with a total of 152 orbits, in preparation for a manned lunar landing flight. It was the first manned flight to use all lunar hardware in Earth orbit, including the Lunar Excursion Module, LEM.

The crew also demonstrated their performance with the LEM. The Apollo 9 astronauts performed selected lunar orbit rendezvous mission activities including transposition, intervehicular crew transfer, and LEM active rendezvous and docking. They tested human reactions to space and weightlessness.

David Scott served as command module pilot for Apollo 9.

David Scott served as the commander of the flight of Apollo 15. Apollo 15 was the fourth manned lunar landing mission. It was the first lunar landing mission to visit and explore the moon's Hadley Rille and Apennine Mountains which are located on the southeast edge of the Sea of Rains. The Apollo 15 astronauts named the Command Module, CM, Endeavor and the Lunar Excursion Module, LEM, Falcon.

Apollo 15 was the first to carry orbital sensors in the Service Module. The astronauts stayed on the lunar surface for just under 67 hours, setting a new record. The Apollo 15 astronauts rode in the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), an electric-powered, 4-wheel drive car. In the LRV, they traveled a total of 27.9 km or 17 miles. They brought back 169 pounds of lunar material.