During the Apollo 15 mission, astronaut Al Worden and his fellow crewmates David Scott and James Irwin returned to Earth without the help of Mission Control. The goal was to prove astronauts could still navigate home even if radio communication with Mission Control was lost. Instead, they used their own navigation using points on Earth’s horizon to make it home safely.
Hear Worden explain exactly how they performed this complex task (while making it sound easy), and how close they came to the targeted landing site.
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s Tell Me a Story video series shares incredible experiences from real astronauts. For a complete playlist of this series and Untold Stories from the Rocket Ranch, explore through the visitor complex’s YouTube Channel, ExploreSpaceKSC.
More Featured Flashback Blogs:
- Featured Flashback: The Lost Apollo Part
- Featured Flashback: Watersports Before Launch
- Featured Flashback: Witnessing History from the Space Coast