Al Worden, the command module pilot for the Apollo 15 lunar landing, died Wednesday in Texas, NASA said. He was 88 years old.
Before joining NASA in 1966, Worden was worked as a test pilot, instructor and Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, working with famed aviator, Chuck Yeager, his NASA biography states.
"He flew to the Moon as command module pilot aboard Apollo 15. During this time he earned a world record as “most isolated human being" while his crew mates roamed the lunar surface, and he was 2,235 miles away from anyone else," Bridenstine said in a statement.
“Of his mission Worden said, ‘Now I know why I'm here. Not for a closer look at the Moon, but to look back at our home, the Earth," Bridenstine added.
Worden spent more than 295 hours in space that included three space walks on the flight back from the moon to retrieve film from cameras mounted on the spacecraft, his bio states. He grew up on a farm during the Great Depression, later attending military school at West Point. He went on to study engineering and earn two master's degrees from the University of Michigan.
Later in his career, Worden became a Senior Aerospace Scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in California. He was also a popular guest on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, where he "surely fueled the desire of many children to pursue careers along the lines of his and become future exploration leaders," Bridenstine said.
"We remember this pioneer whose work expanded our horizons," he said.
Photo: NASA