Sunday, July 26, 2026

The Explorers' Club, № MCLXX

Destination Moon—Astronaut Group 5 (the "Original Nineteen"), Part VI
Alfred Merrill Worden (7 February 1932-18 March 2020), Colonel, U.S. Air Force—He flew as Command Module Pilot on Apollo 15 (Endeavour & Falcon, 1971); each time his C.S.M. emerged from behind the Moon, he radioed, "Hello, Earth. Greetings from Endeavour" in a different language; he wrote poetry, memoirs, & children's books, publishing his autobiography, Falling to Earth, in 2011.
Commentary: Worden is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most isolated human being," apparently being farther away from Apollo 15 CDR Dave Scott & L.M.P. Jim Irwin than any other C.M.P. His E.V.A. to retrieve film canisters from the Service Module's S.I.M. bay (artist representation above) also took place farther from Earth than the similar E.V.A. from Apollo 16 & Apollo 17.

Bonus! Moonshot Song o' the Day: The Original Nineteen—Al Worden
The University of Michigan Marching Band, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" from A Saturday Tradition (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

The Wayback Machine Tour of Al Worden
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCXXXVIII: The 55th Anniversary of Voskhod 2 (Death notification)
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXXXI: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 15, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXXXII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 15, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXXXIII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 15, Part III
Requiescat in pace.

No comments: