NASA Astronaut Al Worden Of Apollo 15 Dies At 88

KEY POINTS

Former NASA astronaut Alfred Worden has passed away
He was the command module pilot for the Apollo 15 mission
He conducted the first spacewalk and orbited the Moon 74 times

Former astronaut Alfred Worden, who performed the first spacewalk in history during the Apollo 15 mission, passed away at the age of 88. His death was confirmed by his family and officials from NASA.

Worden served as the command module pilot for NASA’s ninth crewed mission under the Apollo program. Through the command module Endeavor, Worden orbited the Moon as his crewmates David Scott and James Irwin explored the lunar surface.

Aside from piloting the command module, Worden also performed the first-ever extravehicular activity or spacewalk in history. He carried out the impressive feat while retrieving film cassettes from the exterior of the spacecraft during Apollo 15’s return flight to Earth.

According to Worden’s family, the former astronaut died on March 18. Prior to his death, Worden developed an infection that caused him to collapse inside his home in League City, Texas. He was brought to the Medical Center in Houston before he was moved to a convalescent home in Sugar Land, Texas.

In a Twitter post, the family of Worden noted that the former astronaut died in his sleep.

Houston, Texas March 18, 2020 – It is with great sadness that the family of Colonel Al Worden, (USAF Ret.) CMP Apollo 15 share the news that “Al” died in his sleep last night. The family thank you all for your kindness, thoughts, and prayers. pic.twitter.com/K82iUyVbjm
— Al Worden: In Memoriam (@WordenAlfred) March 18, 2020

Following Worden’s death, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine released a statement on behalf of the agency. In addition to sending condolences to Worden’s family, the NASA official also looked back on the astronaut illustrious career with the agency.

In his statement, Bridenstine referred to Worden’s title as the “Most isolated human being,” which was given to him by the Guinness Book of World Records. He achieved the world record by orbiting the Moon by himself 74 times. As he was orbiting the Moon, he was able to reach the farthest distance from any other humans, namely Scott and Irwin.

“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,” Bridenstine stated. “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,” he continued. “During this time he earned a world record as ‘Most isolated human being’ while his crewmates roamed the lunar surface, and he was 2,235 miles away from anyone else.”