Product Description 
Apollo 15 command module pilot Al Worden was one of the highest-profile personalities among the Apollo astronauts, renowned for his outspokenness and potent views but also recognized as a warm and well-liked person who devoted much of his life after retiring from NASA to sharing his spaceflight experiences.\nWorden had nearly finished writing this book before his passing in 2020 at the age of eighty-eight. Coauthored with spaceflight historian Francis French, 
The Light of Earth is Worden’s wide-ranging look at the greatest-ever scientific undertaking, in which he was privileged to be a leading participant.\nHere Worden gives readers his refreshingly candid opinions on the space program, flying to the moon, and the people involved in the Apollo and later shuttle programs, as well as sharing hard-hitting reflections on the space shuttle program, the agonies and extraordinary sights and delights of being a NASA Apollo astronaut, and the space program’s triumphs and failures.\nWorden delves into areas of personal grief that reveal the noble and truly human side of the space program’s earliest years. He does not hold back when discussing the shocking deaths of his fellow astronauts in the three major tragedies that struck the space agency, nor does he shy away from sharing his personal feelings about fellow Apollo astronauts including Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Worden was known as a charismatic speaker and one of the most thoughtful Apollo astronauts. His candid, entertaining, and unique perspective in 
The Light of Earth will captivate and surprise.\nReview \n"In this enlightening book, Worden gives his refreshingly candor opinions on the space program, flying to the moon, and the people involved in the Apollo and later shuttle programs, as well as sharing hard-hitting reflections on the space shuttle program, the agonies and extraordinary sights and delights of being a NASA Apollo astronaut, and the space program's triumphs and failures."—Jason Schott, 
Brooklyn Digest 
 Published On: 2021-11-18\n“I first met Al Worden as a fellow young test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base some fifty-eight years ago. We were both chosen to join the astronaut corps as members of Group 5, known as the Original 19. Al and I had various training experiences together for our first year. I remember Al as being very friendly and outgoing with a raucous, unmistakable laugh. He made some of our boring sessions lively.”—Fred Haise, 
Apollo 13 astronaut\n“From the moon to the bohemian midseventies in San Francisco and right up to his passing in early 2020, reading this book reminds me of how much Al Worden is still valued and deeply missed. His candor, bravery, and hilarity here make it seem like he is still with us.”—Emily Carney, space historian\n“Al Worden was a heroic fighter pilot, test pilot, and astronaut who played a major role in the exploration of the moon, only to see his career derailed by circumstances he could not control. Now he asks: what do you do after you’ve been to the moon? Write poetry? Go into business? Run for office? With the able assistance of historian Francis French, Worden tells this poignant tale.”—Michael Cassutt, space historian and author\n“This is a magnificent book for so many reasons: not just in creating a wonderful postscript to Al Worden’s amazing life but also in bringing us the man’s deepest and often unfettered thoughts—especially when discussing his fellow Apollo astronauts. . . . This is altogether one of the most profound, poignant, and introspective stories ever set down by an Apollo astronaut—and probably any American astronaut. Al Worden was a man with many truths to tell, and they are all in this book.”—Colin Burgess, space historian\nAbout the Author 
Al Worden (1932–2020) served as a support crew member for 
Apollo 9, backup command module pilot for 
Apollo 12, and command module pilot for 
Apollo 15’s mission in 1971. After retiring from

The Light of Earth: Reflections on a Life in Space (Outward Odyssey: A People's History of Spaceflight)

Biographies & Memoirs

French, Francis

Worden, Al

Historical

University Of Nebraska Press

As command module pilot for the Apollo 15 mission to the moon in 1971, Al Worden flew on what is widely regarded as the greatest exploration mission that humans have ever attempted. He spent six days orbiting the moon, including three days completely alone, the most isolated human in existence. During the return from the moon to earth he also conducted the first spacewalk in deep space, becoming the first human ever to see both the entire earth and moon simply by turning his head. The Apollo 15 flight capped an already-impressive career as an astronaut, including important work on the pioneering Apollo 9 and Apollo 12 missions, as well as the perilous flight of Apollo 13. Nine months after his return from the moon, Worden received a phone call telling him he was fired and ordering him out of his office by the end of the week. He refused to leave. What happened in those nine months, from being honored with parades and meetings with world leaders to being unceremoniously fired, has been a source of much speculation for four decades. Worden has never before told the full story around the dramatic events that shook NASA and ended his spaceflight career. Readers will learn them here for the first time, along with the exhilarating account of what it is like to journey to the moon and back. It's an unprecedentedly candid account of what it was like to be an Apollo astronaut, with all its glory but also its pitfalls.

Falling to Earth: An Apollo 15 Astronaut's Journey to the Moon

Leaders & Notable People

Smithsonian Books

As command module pilot for the Apollo 15 mission to the moon in 1971, Al Worden flew on what is widely regarded as the greatest exploration mission that humans have ever attempted. He spent six days orbiting the moon, including three days completely alone, the most isolated human in existence. During the return from the moon to earth he also conducted the first spacewalk in deep space, becoming the first human ever to see both the entire earth and moon simply by turning his head. The Apollo 15 flight capped an already-impressive career as an astronaut, including important work on the pioneering Apollo 9 and Apollo 12 missions, as well as the perilous flight of Apollo 13. Nine months after his return from the moon, Worden received a phone call telling him he was fired and ordering him out of his office by the end of the week. He refused to leave. What happened in those nine months, from being honored with parades and meetings with world leaders to being unceremoniously fired, has been a source of much speculation for four decades. Worden has never before told the full story around the dramatic events that shook NASA and ended his spaceflight career. Readers will learn them here for the first time, along with the exhilarating account of what it is like to journey to the moon and back. It's an unprecedentedly candid account of what it was like to be an Apollo astronaut, with all its glory but also its pitfalls.

Professionals & Academics

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