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

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Overview

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

As the command module pilot for the 1971 Apollo 15 moon mission, Al Worden experienced things that none of us ever will. He spent six days orbiting the moon, including three of them completely alone. During his return, he took the first walk ever in deep space, during which he became the first human in history to see both the entire earth and moon simply by turning his head. What awaited Worden back on earth, however, would perhaps surprise him more than what he had witnessed in space. Just nine months after he returned to cheers, he was fired over the phone and ordered to vacate his NASA office by the end of the week. Falling to Earth tells the full, previously undisclosed story of his ascent, his descent, and his recovery.

Library Journal
Nine months after Worden's (Hello Earth: Greetings from Endeavour) return to Earth, NASA management moved him permanently out of the astronaut office for allegedly profiteering from spaceflight. In this autobiography, he addresses the accusations and how he cleared his name. His focus, however, is on the first half of his life, from childhood to his departure from the Houston space center; he dispatches the last 40 years in two short chapters. The book's highlight is a detailed and fascinating account of training for and successfully completing the first longer-stay lunar mission. Although Worden clearly regrets sacrificing his marriage for his career, kicks himself for getting involved in questionable financial deals, and obviously has mixed feelings about his former mission commander, he doesn't dwell on the details or on his emotions. In a low-key conclusion, the author claims he is reconciled with most of his astronaut peers and on better-than-ever terms with NASA. VERDICT A good, occasionally blunt read and a worthy newcomer to the ever-popular genre of astronaut memoirs. Anyone interested in the space program will enjoy Worden's reminiscences.—Nancy R. Curtis, Univ. of Maine, Orono
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Kirkus Reviews

With the assistance of space historian French (co-author: In the Shadow of the Moon: A Challenging Journey to Tranquility, 1965-1969, 2007, etc.), astronaut Worden, commander of the Apollo 15 module, writes that "it is time to...set the record straight" about the scandal that ended his career in space flight.

The author flew under Col. Dave Scott with Jim Irwin on the successful 1971 NASA trip to the Moon. When they returned to Earth, the crew found themselves in the midst of a scandal, accused of being paid to take souvenir items into space. Although they denied this, they were grounded from then on. By the summer of 1972, the U.S. Senate was involved, and Congresswoman Leonor Sullivan wanted to know "what's going on at NASA." They were never charged with violating law or NASA regulations, but it took years for the three flyers to get their good names back. Worden, now in his late 70s, has a record that speaks for itself. He is one of "only 24 humans" who have left Earth's orbit and gone to the Moon. The author describes how astronauts need courage and skill to fly on the Apollo missions and how they had to be prepared to deal with the unexpected: "We focused on the events that could kill us and prepared for them." Apollo 15, with its on-board instruments and cameras, brought back a treasure trove of data, but they faced many potentially dangerous situations including fragments of broken glass in the weightless environment of the landing module. Worden now helps the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation fund the training of future science and technology students.

On his journey, the author "discovered far more" about the Earth, not only from space, but also in the time and effort spent vindicating himself from what appears to have been an unfair scapegoating.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781588343093
  • Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press
  • Publication date: 7/26/2011
  • Pages: 312
  • Sales rank: 135,855
  • Product dimensions: 6.30 (w) x 9.00 (h) x 1.10 (d)

Meet the Author

Al Worden
Al Worden

AL WORDEN 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 July 26 - August 7, 1971. After retirement from active duty in 1975, Worden spent years in private industry before becoming the Chair of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.  He lives in Vero Beach, Florida. FRANCIS FRENCH is director of education for the San Diego Air & Space Museum and co-author of the award-winning books Into that Silent Sea and In the Shadow of the Moon. 

Table of Contents

Foreword Dick Gordon vii

Preface xi

1 Farmer 1

2 Soldier 16

3 Aviator 30

4 Astronaut 60

5 The Fire 87

6 Unveiling the Moon 110

7 Training and Temptation 138

8 Launch 156

9 Earthrise 177

10 Falling to Earth 200

11 Celebration 220

12 Ruin 242

13 Redemption 259

14 A New Tranquility 274

Epilogue Tom Stafford 280

Acknowledgments 282

Index 285

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
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Sort by: Showing all of 6 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 31, 2011

    A unique, candid story of an American treasure and hero! Excellent!

    OK, think about what you're doing right now at this very moment, reading this sentence and just being aware of your immediate surroundings. Now, think about when Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden took the first walk ever in deep space 40 years ago and became the first human in history to see both the entire Earth and the Moon simply by turning his head. Feel any different? I know I do!

    But that's only one of the "oh my gosh!" moments in "Falling To Earth", and there are many. But perhaps most important is the opportunity to understand an Apollo lunar mission from the perspective of the CMP (Command Module Pilot); the one crew member who stayed aboard and minded the spacecraft while his other two crewmates roamed the lunar surface. Many times overlooked and taken for granted by the moon walking component of the mission, Apollo 15's CMP Al Worden had a very full plate of science experiments to conduct and on-board system instruments to constantly monitor. Space is not a very forgiving place when mistakes occur. Without this critical crewmember consistently performing at his peak, and flying solo for much of the mission, there is no way the full crew would have had a chance of ever returning safely to Earth.

    The book has a very nice conversational tone which is very appealing. The tone is set from the first chapter so that the reader immediately feels as if they're actually being "told" the story from Worden himself. I find this to be very refreshing, practically an honor, as if I'm actually sitting in Worden's company, while he tells his story.

    In addition to the chronology of his various career moves, the book gives the reader a solid sense of how Worden thinks. I consistently found honest, fair and candid assessments of key life events, especially in areas where Worden considers his career challenges, and as a husband and a father. There is no glossing over these or any other sensitive areas in his life. Instead, he embraces these things with both honesty and humbleness (see "courage"!). It's clear the man has done a lot of soul-searching before writing his story.

    From a technical point of view, I particularly enjoyed reading about the Apollo Command Module spacecraft, which is presented in a most interesting way and without getting lost in cumbersome details. There are some very nice explanations regarding things like the off-center design of the Apollo CM, using the heat shield for lift and firing the thrusters to stay centered in the re-entry corridor. I'm always amazed at how many die-hard Apollo enthusiasts still don't realize that the CM was actually piloted into and through the re-entry back to Earth.

    Finally, I really can't say enough about the writing style. I think co-author Francis French has worked a miracle with this book. I'm telling you, I can actually hear Al Worden's voice speaking every word as I read along! Fantastic!

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 24, 2012

    Book

    Plz tell if it is a good book.

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  • Posted January 11, 2011

    Can't Wait For This Book

    I can't wait for this book! I've read all of Francis French's previous books. He writes so wonderfully about these men, women and monkees who have been brave enough to actually leave Planet Earth and reach for the stars!!!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 17, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

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    Posted February 16, 2012

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    Posted February 2, 2012

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