Al Worden (1932–2020)

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/falling-to-earth-an-apollo-15-astronauts-journey...

Another of the astronaut autobiographies which I saw recommended in this blog post in 2020 (via File 770). I enjoyed Michael Collins’ Carrying the Fire so much that I made it my book of 2021. Like Collins, Worden got to circle the Moon while his colleagues went and landed on it; unlike Collins, his career had a hard crash immediately afterwards, as a result of a scandal involving the sale for profit of show more commemorative stamps that the astronauts had brought to the lunar surface and back. Worden stayed loyal to his commander, David Scott, when the whole story broke, but nearing the end of his life clearly felt that he needed to tell his side and clarify Scott’s overall responsibility. (He died at 88 in March 2020; Scott, now 91, is the last remaining Apollo commander.)

On the technological side, Worden’s account tallies with Collins, though it’s less funny; it’s rather delightful though to read of him developing a passion for lunar geology, and manically photographing every possible inch of the moon’s surface while in orbit. Worden’s personal life was more complex, as he and his first wife divorced while he was undergoing his astronaut training, and one also senses that he was politically less astute than Collins – he notes of a dinner that the Apollo 15 team had with President Nixon and Vice-President Agnew that all five of them underwent public disgrace soon afterwards, but there is not much introspection as to how this happened.

The part of the story I found most shocking in fact was the serious health issue endured by the third man on the mission, James Irwin, whose heart underwent serious stress in the final stages of the lunar excursion. Irwin had a heart attack less than two years after their mission, aged only 43, and was the first of the twelve who walked on the moon to die, aged 61 in 1991. NASA failed to communicate Irwin’s health situation clearly to the three astronauts, and Scott, decided that they should keep working, an error as it turned out, but based on incomplete information. Both the stamps scandal and Irwin’s overwork were mistaken decisions made by Scott, but in a framework established by NASA that made these mistakes very easy to make.

(Irwin became an evangelical Christian after he returned from the moon and went on expeditions to find Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat, asserting that the Book of Genesis was literally true. His grandparents were from Pomeroy, Co Tyrone, and he described himself as the first Irishman on the Moon.)

Space is exciting stuff and although I think Michael Collins’s book is superior, this is still an entertaining read. show less

Decades later, I am still angry. Upset at myself and others. It seemed like an insignificant thing at the time, when I was concentrating on flying and science preparations for the mission. But eventually it overwhelmed all the good work that we did and ruined my career.

Al Worden was a poor Michigan farm boy who became the first astronaut to perform a deep-space spacewalk. As command module pilot for Apollo 15, he spent six days orbiting the Moon all alone and performed dozens of science show more experiments during that time. Worden gives us details of the experience of weightlessness, how he feared he would make a fool of himself when he stepped on to that aircraft carrier because he had forgotten how to use his legs. In just two weeks his brain had rewired itself - even days after his return to Earth, he would push off a table with his hand and expect to move around the room. But Worden also tells of another experience few others have had - that of a disgraced astronaut.

Early astronauts were granted several perks - deals for Corvettes, contracts with LIFE and low, low mortgage rates. Business men were falling over themselves to be associated with NASA and the astronauts themselves were keen to supplement their military-grade pay. Flight crews were approached with opportunities to pack small things into their 'personal preference kit' (their luggage so to speak) that could be sold later. Personal objects taken up on flights were all vetted and approved by Deke Slayton, director of flight operations, and he tried to allow the men as much latitude as possible. It was after the Apollo 15 mission that the Senate decided to look into the issue of 'flown objects' becoming available on the collector's market. It wasn't that this crew was the first to try to make a buck off souvenirs, it wasn't that they tried to sneak things on-board their capsule without permission, it was just bad timing. NASA was a boy's club - but the boys at the top knew when to cut their losses - and Worden was sacrificed.

Even then, Worden does not lose himself in his bad fortune - this book is no pity party. He found a corner of aerospace to keep his hand in. He remarried. He ran for Congress. And many years later, he found the grace to raise money for an astronaut scholarship program - which ironically has him working closely with NASA. Falling is an interesting journey told in an engaging manner. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to those interested in spaceflight memoirs. show less

A fascinating insight to the Apollo program from one of the less well-known astronauts, Al Worden, command module pilot (CMP) for Apollo 15. Col Worden reflects on his training and preparation prior to being selected for NASA, his fellow astronauts, and experiences in the program and afterward, including the aftermath of the First Day Cover scandal.
This book is quite personal and easy to read. Al Worden doesn't gloss over his past but is brutally open and honest about the path that led him show more to being "the most isolated human being" (per Guinness) and the first person to perform an extra-vehicular activity (spacewalk) outside Earth orbit as well as the breakdown of his first marriage and aftermath of the stamp scandal. show less

Al Worden writes a candid book about his life, becoming an astronaut, flying to the moon and back, the scandal that ended his career, and his life afterwards.

I'm a space geek - I'm the first to admit I don't understand most of the science, but being born in '76 and being a kid growing up with the Teacher in Space program - and the horrifying Challenger disaster, which is the Kennedy moment of my generation - I'm fascinated with the space program. I've read probably a dozen books by other show more astronauts and knew about the scandal with the postal books.

The book is interesting - growing up and working on a farm, his early career days, and how suddenly he ended up an astronaut. The reason I give this book 4 stars is because Worden makes excuses an awful lot for alot of things he does, rationalizing everything from being a bad father (well you know, I'm in training to fly to the moon) and being a bad husband (well, you know, I'm in training to fly to the moon) and rationalizes his way through the fact that he got paid money to bring souvenirs to the moon, something that naturally leaves a bad taste in this tax payer's mouth. He naturally was proved innocent in the end and his career was redeemed, along with his reputation, but the rationalizing still bothered me enough to rate this one 4 stars. show less