Alfred Worden
The Apollo 15 astronaut who performed a deep-space spacewalk and became the most isolated human being in history while orbiting the Moon alone.
1932–2020 (age 88)·American astronaut and lunar explorer·Birthday: February 7·The Silent Generation
Biography
Al Worden’s path to the Moon was one of quiet competence. An Air Force test pilot with an engineering mind, he joined NASA in 1966. His moment came on Apollo 15, not as a moonwalker, but as the command module pilot. While David Scott and Jim Irwin explored the Hadley Rille region below, Worden circled alone in the spacecraft Endeavour, a solitary sentinel 60 miles above the lunar surface. For three days, he was the most isolated human in existence, a fact he met with profound wonder, describing the Moon's far side as a place of 'utter black and white.' His most daring feat came on the journey home: he performed the first deep-space spacewalk, floating outside the capsule to retrieve film cassettes from the service module, with the full Earth hanging in the void behind him. After NASA, Worden became a passionate advocate for space exploration, a poet of the orbital perspective, always reminding earthlings of the fragile beauty of their home planet.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Alfred was born in 1932, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alfred Was Born
The biggest hits of 1932
#1 Movie
Grand Hotel
Best Picture
Grand Hotel
Alfred's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1932Born
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1937Started school
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1945Became a teenager
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1948Could drive
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1950Could vote
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1953Turned 21
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1962Turned 30
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1972Turned 40
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1982Turned 50
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 60
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 70
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 80
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2020Died at 88
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
Key Achievements
- Served as Command Module Pilot for Apollo 15, conducting 74 solo orbits of the Moon while his crewmates explored the surface.
- Performed the first deep-space extravehicular activity (EVA) to retrieve film cassettes from the exterior of the service module on the return trip to Earth.
- Was one of only 24 people to have flown to the Moon.
- Authored several books, including a book of poetry inspired by his spaceflight experience.
Did You Know?
He held the world record for being the 'most isolated human being' while his crewmates were on the lunar surface and he was alone in orbit.
He ran for U.S. Congress in Florida in 1982 but was unsuccessful.
He voiced himself in an episode of the animated television series 'The Simpsons.'
His Apollo 15 spacesuit is on display at the National Air and Space Museum.
““Now I know why I'm here. Not for a closer look at the Moon, but to look back at our home, the Earth.””
