Posted on 03/18/2020 11:45:28 AM PDT by BulletBobCo
The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine on the passing of Apollo 15 astronaut Alfred "Al" Worden:
NASA sends its condolences to the family and loved ones of Apollo astronaut Al Worden, an astronaut whose achievements in space and on Earth will not be forgotten.
A Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Worden was a test pilot and instructor before joining NASA as an astronaut in 1966. He flew to the Moon as command module pilot aboard Apollo 15. During this time he earned a world record as most isolated human being" while his crew mates roamed the lunar surface, and he was 2,235 miles away from anyone else.
Later in his career, Worden became Senior Aerospace Scientist at NASAs Ames Research Center in California. His multiple appearances on the childrens show Mr. Rogers Neighborhood surely fueled the desire of many children to pursue careers along the lines of his and become future exploration leaders.
Of his mission Worden said, Now I know why I'm here. Not for a closer look at the Moon, but to look back at our home, the Earth.
We remember this pioneer whose work expanded our horizons.
RIP.
RIP Colonel Warden.
Aw, sorry to hear about this.
As a kid I used to get mailings from NASA - pictures, stamps.
My parents bought a color TV so we could watch the launch of Apollo 11. (to mention a different flight)
The landing, of course, was in black and white.
Rest in Peace, sir! Salute!
The ranks of pathfinders are thinner today.
me and two friends from Tampa’s Chamberlin High cut school and drove to Titusville to watch a Moon shot.
Way kool.
Good journeys, Colonel!
NASA needs her -- even yet...!
Since the average earth-Moon distance is 238,856 miles, the article's "2,235 miles away from anyone else" is, at best, a couple of orders of magnitude off...
Way to build public confidence, NASA!
Don’t his fellow astronauts on the surface of the moon count as anyone else?
I barely remember Apollo 11, however the rest I remember well. My grandparents and great grandparents took me with them on a trip to Florida and we ate lunch at a restaurant where you could see in the distance the Saturn V for Apollo 14 sitting on the pad for launch which was still a week away. I would have loved to have seen that bird go up! I remember the waitress talking with my grandparents about Apollo 13 barely making it back and hoping 14 would be a safe trip for the astronauts.
lol good luck Einstein
Ed
I heard, and saw the first Saturn V launch from Jacksonville.
Sadly, Dad was transferred from NAS Jax to El Toro shortly thereafter.
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Not if you comprehend English.
"...his crew mates roamed the lunar surface, and he was 2,235 miles away from anyone ELSE"
(i.e., Anyone other than his crew mates...)
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Assume Worden's planned CSM periapsis increase from the 62 mile insertion/recovery altitude was to a stable orbit of 76 miles.
Then -- when he was on the other side of the moon from his crew mates , he could have been 2,235 miles from them. (Lunar diameter 2159 miles + orbital altitude 76 miles.)
But, who ELSE might also have been out there, some 238,855 +/- miles from Earth.?
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Those were wasted calculations. The problem was stupid writing by NASA "PR pukes"... (And schools that don't teach English comprehension...)
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