As a senior, veteran astronaut at the time of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Apollo-Soyuz missions, over the years, I have encouraged the crew members of those flights to write down their insights of their participation in history’s greatest achievements and adventures. The Apollo 15 crew explored the moon, both on the surface and in orbit, and flew one of the world’s greatest scientific expeditions. Al Worden did a superb job as a vital member of that crew. I am pleased he has finally shared his story.
After I commanded the Apollo 10 mission to the moon, I replaced Alan Shepard as chief of the astronaut office, followed by a promotion to deputy director of Flight Crew Operations. I was involved in numerous key decisions made behind closed doors about who would fly in space and who would not, as well as issues surrounding astronauts who had bent the rules. In the early days of the space program, we determined that it was best for the program to keep these decisions internal and informal, not passed up through the chain of command to the top bureaucrats. In most cases, they wouldn’t want to know some of the issues that involved astronauts, nor would they probably have understood the best course of action.
Any organization, after its first fresh and lean years, tends to become more bureaucratic, and NASA was no different. At some point, the days of astronauts with a large degree of autonomy and influence were bound to fade. The difference between the authority of the original Mercury Seven and today’s NASA astronauts is striking. The question was never if the change would happen, but when. And change did happen, over a period of many years.
After several incidents toward the end of the Apollo program, the bureaucrats moved in for good. Many of them felt for years that we astronauts had far too much power, prestige, and responsibility. Things were never as informal as they had been before. NASA changed and lost some of its original pioneering and engineering spirit. All of the rules were now laid out in black and white, and every decision passed through multiple layers of middle and upper managers.
Al Worden brought his talent to NASA during a time when the balance had started to shift. Deke Slayton was the director of Flight Crew Operations, and as part of his duties had capably managed the astronauts on a basis of trust and personal responsibility. Al, too, was a trusting guy and had no reason to doubt his superiors. After approving Al’s selection as an astronaut, Deke Slayton gave him one of the earliest flight assignments in his selection group—backup for Apollo 12. It was obvious that Deke thought a lot of him. When it came to carrying out his flight duties, Al performed superbly.
The nonflight issues surrounding the Apollo 15 crew were traumatic for Deke and the entire Apollo community. The events ended Al’s astronaut and military career, and it is unfortunate that he feels it tainted his name for decades. Personally, I always thought he was an outstanding individual and test pilot, going back to our first meeting, and my opinion of him has never changed. The Apollo 15 mission should be remembered primarily as a perfect flight, greatly advancing our scientific knowledge of the moon. The crew did a great job of flying all aspects of their challenging mission. Al should not have his efforts degraded by the decades-old, short-lived publicity surrounding some postal covers carried on board.
So, I’m delighted that Al has finally chosen to document his experiences and relate the outstanding success of his Apollo 15 mission to the moon. As one who commanded a mission to the moon, flying the first lunar module to orbit low over its majestic surface, I can relate.
Lt. General Tom Stafford, USAF (Ret.)
Pilot, Gemini 6A
Command Pilot, Gemini 9A
Commander, Apollo 10 and Apollo-Soyuz
Former Chief of the Astronaut Office