|
| |
You Can Call Me Al
Col. Alfred Merrill Worden, was born in Jackson,
Michigan, on February 7, 1932.
He received a bachelor of military science degree
from the United States Military Academy at West
Point, New York, in 1955 and master of science
degrees in Astronautical and Aeronautical
Engineering and Instrumentation Engineering from the
University of Michigan in 1963. He received an
honorary doctorate of science in Astronautical
Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1971.
Selecting the United States Air Force after
graduating from West Point, he received flight
training at Moore Air Base, Texas; Laredo Air Force
Base, Texas; and Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.
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.
Prior to his arrival for
duty at the Johnson Space Center, he served as an
instructor at the Aerospace Research Pilots School at
Edwards Air Force Base, California - from which he
graduated in September 1965. As an instructor, he
trained some of the men who would later become fellow
astronauts. He is also a December 1964 graduate of the
Empire Test Pilots School in Farnborough, England.
He has logged in excess
of 4,000 hours flying time--which includes 2,500 hours
in jets.
 Col. Worden was one of
the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966, in the
5th group of astronauts selected. 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 R. Scott,
spacecraft commander, and James B. Irwin, lunar module
commander. Apollo 15 was the fourth manned lunar landing
mission and the first to visit and explore the moon's
Hadley Rille and Apennine Mountains, which are located
on the southeast edge of 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 sub satellite launched in
lunar orbit; and first EVA from a command module out of
Earth orbit for which Col. Worden still holds a record
for the furthest deep space EVA.
 During this EVA 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 and reported his personal
observations of the general condition of equipment
housed there. Apollo 15 concluded with a Pacific
splashdown and subsequent recovery by the 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 in California.
After retirement from active duty in 1975, Worden became
President of Maris Worden Aerospace, Inc., and was
Vice-President of BF Goodrich Aerospace Brecksville,
Ohio, in addition to other positions within the
aerospace and aviation industries. |
 |
|
Worden currently serves as Chairman of the Board for the
Astronaut Scholarship Foundation in Florida.
NASA
Honors
Apollo
Astronaut
Al
Worden
with
Moon
Rock
NASA
honored
Apollo
astronaut
Al
Worden
with
the
presentation
of
an
Ambassador
of
Exploration
Award
for
his
contributions
to
the
U.S.
space
program.
Worden
received the award during a ceremony Thursday, July 30, 2009. The ceremony was
held
at
the
Apollo
Saturn
V
Center
at
NASA's
Kennedy
Space
Center
Visitor
Complex
in
Florida,
where
the
moon
rock
will
be
displayed.
NASA
is
giving
the
Ambassador
of
Exploration
Award
to
the
first
generation
of
explorers
in
the
Mercury,
Gemini
and
Apollo
space
programs
for
realizing
America's
goal
of
going
to
the
moon.
The
award
is a
moon
rock
encased
in
Lucite,
mounted
for
public
display.
The
rock
is
part
of
the
842
pounds
of
lunar
samples
collected
during
six
Apollo
expeditions
from
1969
to
1972.
Those
astronauts
who
receive
the
award
will
then
present
the
award
to a
museum
of
their
choice,
where
the
moon
rock
will
be
placed
for
public
display.
Worden
served
as
command
module
pilot
for
the
Apollo
15
mission,
which
set
several
moon
records
for
NASA,
including
the
longest
lunar
surface
stay
time,
the
longest
lunar
extravehicular
activity
and
the
first
use
of a
lunar
roving
vehicle.
Worden
spent
38
minutes
in a
spacewalk
outside
the
command
module
and
logged
a
total
of
295
hours,
11
minutes
in
space
during
the
mission.
Worden
was
born
in
Jackson,
Mich.
He
received
a
bachelor
of
military
science
degree
from
the
United
States
Military
Academy
at
West
Point,
N.Y.,
in
1955,
and
master
of
science
degrees
in
astronautical
and
aeronautical
engineering
and
instrumentation
engineering
from
the
University
of
Michigan
in
1963.
|
|
Apollo Astronaut Col. Alfred M. Worden receives his Award from current NASA Administrator
and Shuttle Astronaut Brig. General Charles F. Bolden, Jr.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
