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 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. ( )

I agree with previous reviews. This is a thorough retelling of Al Worden's experience from childhood through his retirement from NASA after traveling to the moon. He accepts responsibility for his mistakes and gives credit to many family members, pilots, astronauts, and NASA administrators for his successes. It would be a bit slow for anyone who isn't interested in space exploration and the history of NASA, but this biography fits right in with others astronaut biographies and historical books on space exploration. It certainly helped me understand the very broad education and skill set an astronaut was expected to have in the 1970s. ( )

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 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. ( )

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 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.

( )

Pretty workmanlike autobiography of Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden. Interesting but not overwhelmingly so. Two parts did stand out though. First, his description of the moon mission he participated in was very well written and did an effective job of putting the reader in that place and time. And second, his recounting of the postal cover scandal was interesting and provided a perspective that did not get much play at the time. If you are a space buff like me you will enjoy this...if not it is a bit of a slog. ( )