Alfred Worden
Encyclopedia
Alfred Merrill Worden (born February 7, 1932) is an American
astronaut
who was the command module pilot for the Apollo 15
Moon mission in July–August 1971. The son of Merrill and Helen Worden, he was born in Jackson
, Michigan
. He is one of only 24 people to have flown to the Moon.
at West Point
, New York
, in 1955 and master of science degrees in Astronautical/Aeronautical Engineering
and Instrumentation Engineering from the University of Michigan
in 1963. He also received an honorary doctorate of science in Astronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1971.
, received flight training at Moore Air Force Base
, Texas; Laredo Air Force Base
, Texas; and Tyndall Air Force Base
, Florida.
Prior to his arrival for duty at the Johnson Space Center, he served as an instructor at the Aerospace Research Pilots School—from which he graduated in September 1965. He is also a February 1965 graduate of the Empire Test Pilots' School
in Farnborough, England.
He attended Randolph Air Force Base
Instrument Pilots Instructor School in 1963 and served as a pilot and armament officer from March 1957 to May 1961 with the 95th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Andrews Air Force Base
, Maryland.
He has logged more than 4,000 hours flying time—which includes 2,500 hours in jets.
selected by NASA in April 1966. He served as a member of the astronaut support crew for the Apollo 9
flight and as backup command module pilot for the Apollo 12
flight.
Worden served as command module pilot for Apollo 15
, July 26 - August 7, 1971. His companions on the flight were David Scott
, spacecraft commander, and James B. Irwin, lunar module pilot. Apollo 15 was the fourth manned lunar landing mission and the first to visit and explore the moon's Hadley Rille and Montes Apenninus
which are located on the southeast edge of the Mare Imbrium
(Sea of Rains). Apollo 15 achievements include: Largest payloads placed in earth and lunar orbits; first scientific instrument module bay flown and operated on an Apollo spacecraft; longest lunar surface stay time (the lunar module, "Falcon," remained on ground for 66 hours and 54 minutes); longest lunar surface EVA (Scott and Irwin logged 18 hours and 35 minutes each during three excursions onto the lunar surface); longest distance traversed on lunar surface; first use of lunar roving vehicle; first use of a lunar surface navigation device (mounted on Rover-1); first subsatellite launched in lunar orbit; and first EVA from a command module during transearth coast.
Additionally, Worden has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "Most isolated human being" during his time alone in the command module "Endeavour". When the orbiting command module was at its greatest distance from Scott and Irwin in the "Falcon", Worden was 2,235 miles away from any other human beings.
Scott and Irwin collected approximately 171 pounds of lunar surface materials on their three expeditions onto the lunar surface; and Worden logged 38 minutes in extravehicular activity outside the command module, "Endeavour." In completing his three excursions to "Endeavour's" scientific instrument module bay, Worden retrieved film cassettes from the panoramic and mapping cameras performing the first deep-space EVA and reported his personal observations of the general condition of equipment housed there. Apollo 15 concluded with a Pacific splashdown and subsequent recovery by USS Okinawa
. In completing his space flight, Worden logged 295 hours and 11 minutes in space.
During 1972-1973, Worden was Senior Aerospace Scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center, and from 1973 to 1975, he was chief of the Systems Study Division at Ames. Between 1972 and 1975, he made seven guest appearances on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
.
After retirement from NASA and active duty in 1975, Worden became president of Maris Worden Aerospace, Inc., and then became staff vice-president of BG Goodrich Aerospace Brecksville, Ohio. Worden served as chairman of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation until 2011, providing scholarships to exceptional science and engineering students. Worden is the last of the Apollo astronauts to participate in the Kennedy Space Center's Encounter with an Astronaut program in which the public can attend a lecture by, ask questions of, and even dine with an astronaut.
In 2011, Worden's memoir "Falling To Earth" made the top 12 of the LA Times Bestseller list.
. The profits of the sale would have been used to establish trust funds for the Apollo 15 crew's children. Although their action was not in any way illegal, and despite the fact that NASA had turned a blind eye to similar activities on earlier flights, the administration decided to make an example of Scott and his crew and none of them flew in space again.
In 1982, Worden ran for the United States House of Representatives
in Florida's 12th congressional district
, but lost the Republican primary to state senator Tom Lewis. He sold some of the postal covers to pay for debts from this unsuccessful campaign.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
who was the command module pilot for the Apollo 15
Apollo 15
Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the American Apollo space program, the fourth to land on the Moon and the eighth successful manned mission. It was the first of what were termed "J missions", long duration stays on the Moon with a greater focus on science than had been possible on previous...
Moon mission in July–August 1971. The son of Merrill and Helen Worden, he was born in Jackson
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. He is one of only 24 people to have flown to the Moon.
Education
Worden attended Dibble, Griswold, Bloomfield and East Jackson grade schools and completed his secondary education at Jackson High School. He received a bachelor of military science degree from the United States Military AcademyUnited States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
at West Point
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, in 1955 and master of science degrees in Astronautical/Aeronautical Engineering
Aerospace engineering
Aerospace engineering is the primary branch of engineering concerned with the design, construction and science of aircraft and spacecraft. It is divided into two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering...
and Instrumentation Engineering from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1963. He also received an honorary doctorate of science in Astronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1971.
Military career
Worden graduated from the United States Military Academy in June 1955 and, after being commissioned in the Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, received flight training at Moore Air Force Base
Moore Air Force Base
Moore Air Base is an inactive United States Air Force facility located fourteen miles northwest of Mission, Texas. It was inactivated on 1 February 1961...
, Texas; Laredo Air Force Base
Laredo Air Force Base
Laredo Air Force Base is an inactivated United States Air Force near Laredo, Texas. First activated in 1942 as Laredo Army Airfield, the facility instructed recruits in aerial gunnery during World War II, then as a United States Air Force base in the 1950s and 1960s, performed Undergraduate Pilot...
, Texas; and Tyndall Air Force Base
Tyndall Air Force Base
Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt Frank Benjamin Tyndall...
, Florida.
Prior to his arrival for duty at the Johnson Space Center, he served as an instructor at the Aerospace Research Pilots School—from which he graduated in September 1965. He is also a February 1965 graduate of the Empire Test Pilots' School
Empire Test Pilots' School
The Empire Test Pilots' School is a British training school for test pilots and flight test engineers of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft at MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, England. It was established in 1943, the first of its type...
in Farnborough, England.
He attended Randolph Air Force Base
Randolph Air Force Base
Randolph Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located east-northeast of San Antonio, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 902d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command ....
Instrument Pilots Instructor School in 1963 and served as a pilot and armament officer from March 1957 to May 1961 with the 95th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Andrews Air Force Base
Andrews Air Force Base
Joint Base Andrews is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 11th Wing, Air Force District of Washington ....
, Maryland.
He has logged more than 4,000 hours flying time—which includes 2,500 hours in jets.
NASA career
Worden was one of the 19 astronautsAstronaut Group 5
NASA's Astronaut Group 5 selected by NASA in April 1966. Of the six Lunar Module Pilots that walked on the Moon, three came from Group 5. The group as a whole is roughly split between the half who flew to the Moon and the other half who flew Skylab and Shuttle, providing the core of Shuttle...
selected by NASA in April 1966. He served as a member of the astronaut support crew for the Apollo 9
Apollo 9
Apollo 9, the third manned mission in the American Apollo space program, was the first flight of the Command/Service Module with the Lunar Module...
flight and as backup command module pilot for the Apollo 12
Apollo 12
Apollo 12 was the sixth manned flight in the American Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon . It was launched on November 14, 1969 from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, four months after Apollo 11. Mission commander Charles "Pete" Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan L...
flight.
Worden served as command module pilot for Apollo 15
Apollo 15
Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the American Apollo space program, the fourth to land on the Moon and the eighth successful manned mission. It was the first of what were termed "J missions", long duration stays on the Moon with a greater focus on science than had been possible on previous...
, July 26 - August 7, 1971. His companions on the flight were David Scott
David Scott
David Randolph Scott is an American engineer, test pilot, retired U.S. Air Force officer, and former NASA astronaut and engineer, who was one of the third group of astronauts selected by NASA in October 1963...
, spacecraft commander, and James B. Irwin, lunar module pilot. Apollo 15 was the fourth manned lunar landing mission and the first to visit and explore the moon's Hadley Rille and Montes Apenninus
Montes Apenninus
Montes Apenninus are a rugged mountain range on the northern part of the Moon's near side. They are named after the Apennine Mountains in Italy....
which are located on the southeast edge of the Mare Imbrium
Mare Imbrium
Mare Imbrium, Latin for "Sea of Showers" or "Sea of Rains", is a vast lunar mare filling a basin on Earth's Moon and one of the larger craters in the Solar System. Mare Imbrium was created when lava flooded the giant crater formed when a very large object hit the Moon long ago...
(Sea of Rains). Apollo 15 achievements include: Largest payloads placed in earth and lunar orbits; first scientific instrument module bay flown and operated on an Apollo spacecraft; longest lunar surface stay time (the lunar module, "Falcon," remained on ground for 66 hours and 54 minutes); longest lunar surface EVA (Scott and Irwin logged 18 hours and 35 minutes each during three excursions onto the lunar surface); longest distance traversed on lunar surface; first use of lunar roving vehicle; first use of a lunar surface navigation device (mounted on Rover-1); first subsatellite launched in lunar orbit; and first EVA from a command module during transearth coast.
Additionally, Worden has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "Most isolated human being" during his time alone in the command module "Endeavour". When the orbiting command module was at its greatest distance from Scott and Irwin in the "Falcon", Worden was 2,235 miles away from any other human beings.
Scott and Irwin collected approximately 171 pounds of lunar surface materials on their three expeditions onto the lunar surface; and Worden logged 38 minutes in extravehicular activity outside the command module, "Endeavour." In completing his three excursions to "Endeavour's" scientific instrument module bay, Worden retrieved film cassettes from the panoramic and mapping cameras performing the first deep-space EVA and reported his personal observations of the general condition of equipment housed there. Apollo 15 concluded with a Pacific splashdown and subsequent recovery by USS Okinawa
USS Okinawa (LPH-3)
USS Okinawa was the second Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship assigned the name "Okinawa", in honor of the World War II Battle of Okinawa....
. In completing his space flight, Worden logged 295 hours and 11 minutes in space.
During 1972-1973, Worden was Senior Aerospace Scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center, and from 1973 to 1975, he was chief of the Systems Study Division at Ames. Between 1972 and 1975, he made seven guest appearances on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, also known as Mister Rogers, is an American children's television series that was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. The series is aimed primarily at preschool ages, 2-5, but has been stated by Public Broadcasting Service as "appropriate for all ages"...
.
After retirement from NASA and active duty in 1975, Worden became president of Maris Worden Aerospace, Inc., and then became staff vice-president of BG Goodrich Aerospace Brecksville, Ohio. Worden served as chairman of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation until 2011, providing scholarships to exceptional science and engineering students. Worden is the last of the Apollo astronauts to participate in the Kennedy Space Center's Encounter with an Astronaut program in which the public can attend a lecture by, ask questions of, and even dine with an astronaut.
In 2011, Worden's memoir "Falling To Earth" made the top 12 of the LA Times Bestseller list.
Stamp incident
After the return of Apollo 15 to Earth, it was discovered that, without authority, the crew had taken 398 commemorative postal covers to the moon of which a hundred were then sold to a German stamp dealerStamp dealer
A stamp dealer is a company or an individual who deals in postage stamps and philatelic products. It also includes individuals who sell postage stamps for day to day use or official stamps for use on court documents.-Stamps on Approval Basis:...
. The profits of the sale would have been used to establish trust funds for the Apollo 15 crew's children. Although their action was not in any way illegal, and despite the fact that NASA had turned a blind eye to similar activities on earlier flights, the administration decided to make an example of Scott and his crew and none of them flew in space again.
In 1982, Worden ran for the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in Florida's 12th congressional district
Florida's 12th congressional district
Florida's 12th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Florida that encompasses much of Polk County as well as parts of rural and suburban east Hillsborough County and a small piece of western Osceola County....
, but lost the Republican primary to state senator Tom Lewis. He sold some of the postal covers to pay for debts from this unsuccessful campaign.
Personal life
Worden is married to Jill Lee (Hotchkiss) and has three children. His recreational interests include bowling, water skiing, golf and racquet ball.In popular culture
In the 1998 HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, Worden was played by Michael Raynor.External links
- Episode 45 on astrotalkuk.org Interview recorded in London on May 22, 2011
- Al Worden.com
- Astronaut Scholarship Foundation board