Apollo Astronaut, Colonel Alfred M. Worden, American Astronaut and Engineer, who was the Command Module Pilot for the Apollo 15 Lunar Mission in 1971; was one of only 24 people to have flown to the Moon, which he orbited it 74 times in the Command Module Endeavour. He was just recently selected for the Lifetime Achievement Award in Aerospace for 2019 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP), for his outstanding leadership, dedication and contributions to Aerospace.
While inclusion with the International Association of Top Professionals is an honor in itself, only one person in each discipline are chosen for this distinction. These special honorees are distinguished based on their professional accomplishments, academic achievements, leadership abilities, longevity in the field, other affiliations and contributions to their communities. All honorees are invited to attend the IAOTP’s annual award gala at the end of this year for a night to honor their achievements. www.iaotp.com/award-gala
With having over 6 decades of professional experience in Aerospace, Col. Worden has certainly proven himself as an extraordinary professional, pioneer, and expert in the field. Col. Worden is a dynamic, results-driven leader who has demonstrated success not only as an American Astronaut and Engineer, but as a Space celebrity, whose accomplishments are literally “out of this world.” Col. Worden has been very exciting to watch and has become a household name. His impressive repertoire of prior roles have included; Pilot and Armament Officer with the 95th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Andrews Air Force Base, Instructor at the Aerospace Research Pilots School, served as a member of the astronaut support crew for the Apollo 9 flight and as backup Command Module Pilot for the Apollo 12 flight.
Col. Worden served as Command Module Pilot for Apollo 15 which flew from July 26-August 7, 1971 and he was accompanied by David Scott, spacecraft commander, and James B. Irwin, Lunar Module Pilot. Apollo 15 was the fourth crewed lunar landing mission and the first to visit and explore the Moon’s Hadley Rille and Montes Apenninus which are located on the southeast edge of the Mare Imbrium.
Apollo 15’s achievements include the largest payloads placed in Earth and lunar orbits at that time, the first scientific instrument module bay flown and operated on an Apollo spacecraft, the longest lunar surface stay at that time, (the Apollo Lunar Module, Falcon, remained on ground for 66 hours and 54 minutes), the longest lunar surface EVA at that time (Scott and Irwin logged 18 hours and 35 minutes each during three excursions onto the lunar surface), the longest distance traversed on lunar surface at that time, the first use of the lunar Roving Vehicle, the first use of a lunar surface navigation device (mounted on Rover-1), the first subsatellite launched in lunar orbit, and the first EVA from a command module during transearth coast.
Additionally, Worden has been credited and listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “Most Isolated human being” during his time alone in the command module Endeavour and for performing the first deep-space EVA. When the orbiting command module was at its greatest distance from Scott and Irwin in the Falcon, Col. Worden was 2,235 miles away from any other human beings. Worden logged 38 minutes in Extravehicular Activity outside the Command Module Endeavour, and in completing his space flight he logged 295 hours and 11 minutes in space. In completing his 3 excursions to Endeavour’s scientific instrument module bay, Worden retrieved film cassettes from the panoramic and mapping cameras, and reported his personal observations of the general condition of equipment housed there. Apollo 15 concluded with a Pacific splashdown and subsequent recovery by USS Okinawa.
During 1972-1973, Worden served as Senior Aerospace Scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center and from 1973-1975, he was chief of the Systems Study Division at Ames in California.After retirement from active duty in 1975, Col. Worden became President of Maris Worden Aerospace, Inc., and was Vice-President of BF Goodrich Aerospace Brecksville, Ohio, in addition to other positions within the aerospace and aviation industries. In 1982, Col. Worden also ran for the United States House of Representatives in Florida’s 12th congressional district.
Col. Worden received his Bachelor of Science degree in Military Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and his Master of Science degrees in Astronautical/Aeronautical Engineering and Instrumentation Engineering from the University of Michigan.He received flight training at Moore Air Force Base, Laredo Air Force Base and Tyndall Air Force Base. He also received an Honorary Doctorate of Science in Astronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1971. Worden was one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966.
Stephanie Cirami, President of IAOTP stated, “Choosing Col. Worden for this honor was an easy decision for our panel to make. Col. Worden’s numerous accomplishments, tremendous foresight, extensive knowledge, and brilliance at what he does, and his sacrifices he made for our country, are without a doubt beyond impressive and honorable. He was exactly what we were looking for. We are truly honored to have him as our recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in Aerospace and we are looking forward to meeting him at the gala.”
Throughout his illustrious career, Col. Worden has received numerous awards and accolades and has been recognized worldwide for his outstanding leadership and commitment to the profession. For 2019, he is being considered to be featured in TIP (Top Industry Professional Magazine), and is also being considered to be inducted into IAOTP’s Hall of Fame. He was chosen for the Lifetime Achievement Award in Aerospace by IAOTP and he will be honored at their annual awards gala at the Bellagio Hotel for this distinction. NASA honored Col. Worden with the presentation of an Ambassador of Exploration Award “Moon Rock” for his contributions to the US space program. In 2016 he was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum. He received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame and the US Astronaut Hall of Fame. Col. Worden has served multiple terms as Chairman of the board for the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation in Florida.
Aside from his successful career, Col. Worden is a published poet, contributor and LA Times Bestselling Author.He is the author of three books, “Hello Earth! Greetings from Endeavour”, “I want to know about a Flight to the Moon”, and more recently, his autobiography “Falling to Earth.” Col. Worden was also played by Michael Raynor in the 1998 HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon. Col. Worden contributed the foreword to the space history book “To A Distant Day” by Chris Gainor and wrote the foreword for the award-winning book “A Quarter Million Steps” by Dr. Anthony Paustian.
Looking back, Col. Worden attributes his success to his life experiences, education, and his endless passion for Aerospace. His hobbies include bowling, water skiing, golf, racquetball and spending time with his family. For the future, he hopes to inspire people with his writings and poetry to be free independent thinkers and hopes to continue to make a difference anyway that he can.
For more information on Col. Worden please visit: www.alworden.com
About IAOTP
The International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) is an international boutique networking organization who handpicks the world’s finest, most prestigious top professionals from different industries. These top professionals are given an opportunity to collaborate, share their ideas, be keynote speakers and to help influence others in their fields. This organization is not a membership that anyone can join. You have to be asked by the President or be nominated by a distinguished honorary member after a brief interview.
IAOTP's experts have given thousands of top prestigious professionals around the world, the recognition and credibility that they deserve and have helped in building their branding empires. IAOTP prides itself to be a one of a kind boutique networking organization that hand picks only the best of the best and creates a networking platform that connects and brings these top professionals to one place.
For more information on IAOTP please visit: www.iaotp.com
