Apollo Astronaut James Irwin talks about the moon landing, his faith in God and a conspiracy theory
By Allison Shaw, Mount Royal College, Calgary Alberta--October 19, 1974
Speaking before 1,000 people at the South Calgary Community Church on October 19, Colonel James Irwin said "About 13 percent of the people in the U.S. don't think we went to the moon".
On July 26, 1971, Colonel Irwin and fellow astronauts Col. David Scott and Air Force Major Alfred R. Worden were launched to the moon.
Recalling that day, Colonel Irwin said "It was a beautiful morning, it was just a joy to be alive". Mr. Irwin and his fellow astronauts were awakened from their bunks at 4:30 a.m. at Cape Kennedy (now Cape Canaveral).
They proceeded towards the mess hall for a steak breakfast, then were helped into their space suits, helmets and gloves. After ascending 360 feet by elevator, the astronauts were helped into their space ship "because we were so clumsy in the space suits" Col. Irwin said.
"They don't launch right away," he said, adding that the astronauts had to lie for several hours "waiting and wondering". Listening to the countdown, the hours dragged by slowly.
Apollo 15 was launched at 9:34 a.m. atop a 363-foot Saturn 5. The astronauts could see the earth's continents clearly outlined, the whites of the clouds, tan-coloured deserts, and the blues and greens of the oceans.
As the crew saw the earth's size shrink from their viewpoint to the size of a marble, they realized that "everything we ever loved was back there".
Apollo 15 reached the Moon July 29, 1971 and the lunar module landed at 6:16 p.m. on the dusty Marsh of Decay, on the edge of the dry Sea of Rain. Colonel Irwin's inspiration when he landed was Psalm 121:1, "I shall lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help".
On July 31, Mr. Irwin and Mr. Scott set foot on the Moon and described the soil as feeling like "soft powdered snow". In their four wheeled, 460-pound electric car, named 'Lunar Rover 1' they explored the surface of the moon and collected more than 226 pounds of material. Astronauts Irwin and Scott spent a record two days, 18 hours and five minutes on the Moon.
Apollo 15 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on August 7, 1971, 333 miles north of Hawaii. The three astronauts were the first Moon explorers not required to undergo quarantine after returning from space. The men did experience heart irregularities and dizziness on the Moon, and recovered slowly from the effects of weightlessness after returning to Earth. However, the space physician speculated the heart irregularities were caused by fatigue and were probably not serious.
Colonel Irwin has always been interested in flying, and as a boy he constructed model airplanes. Graduating from high school in Utah, he attended Annapolis Naval Academy in Maryland, but he convinced them to let him join the Air Force. He became a renowned American test pilot, only to have a plane crash just before his most important flight in the world's fastest airplane. He spent two months in the hospital with two broken legs and a broken jaw.
As he lay in the hospital he recalled "I prayed to God for understanding and recovery". He said it was difficult to convince the space program to let him become an astronaut; however, in 1966 he moved to Houston for rigorous space preparations.
Since the Apollo 15 flight Colonel Irwin has retired, and he and his fellow astronauts Worden and Scott have founded the High Flight Foundation, a non-profit organization to share faith in God---through speaking engagements, publications and non-denominational spiritual retreats.
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment