The loneliest human being
On each of the six Apollo missions to the Moon, one member of the crew stayed in the command module that flew around the Moon while the two other astronauts actually landed. Al Worden was one of these command module pilots.
1) But you were 250,000 miles away from home, weren’t you? Did you really prefer being out of contact with Houston? Why was that? Do you feel that history is not fair to command module pilots? You never actually landed on the Moon. Wasn’t it lonely? What about music – what was your mix tape for the Moon? What was your favourite food during the flight? What went through your mind when the lunar lander began its landing on the Moon? It’s kind of funny that everybody’s interested in those who land on the Moon, but the person who stays in orbit can collect a lot more scientific data. For example, I photographed about 25% of the lunar surface.
2) But you were 250,000 miles away from home, weren’t you? Did you really prefer being out of contact with Houston? Why was that? Do you feel that history is not fair to command module pilots? You never actually landed on the Moon. Wasn’t it lonely? What about music – what was your mix tape for the Moon? What was your favourite food during the flight? What went through your mind when the lunar lander began its landing on the Moon? First, I wished them luck: “I hope you land okay!” The second thought was: “Wow, I’m glad they’ve gone because I’ve got this place all to myself.”
3) But you were 250,000 miles away from home, weren’t you? Did you really prefer being out of contact with Houston? Why was that? Do you feel that history is not fair to command module pilots? You never actually landed on the Moon. Wasn’t it lonely? What about music – what was your mix tape for the Moon? What was your favourite food during the flight? What went through your mind when the lunar lander began its landing on the Moon? Let’s get this clear: being alone and being lonely are not the same thing. I totally enjoyed it. On the backside of the Moon I didn’t even have to talk to Houston!
4) But you were 250,000 miles away from home, weren’t you? Did you really prefer being out of contact with Houston? Why was that? Do you feel that history is not fair to command module pilots? You never actually landed on the Moon. Wasn’t it lonely? What about music – what was your mix tape for the Moon? What was your favourite food during the flight? What went through your mind when the lunar lander began its landing on the Moon? Yes, true, but I didn’t think about that distance! I had billions of stars to look at. You just can’t imagine how enormous the universe can feel!
5) But you were 250,000 miles away from home, weren’t you? Did you really prefer being out of contact with Houston? Why was that? Do you feel that history is not fair to command module pilots? You never actually landed on the Moon. Wasn’t it lonely? What about music – what was your mix tape for the Moon? What was your favourite food during the flight? What went through your mind when the lunar lander began its landing on the Moon? I didn’t need someone chatting to me all the time. I had a lot of work to do. But, of course, if anything serious happens, then you really do want to contact them.
6) But you were 250,000 miles away from home, weren’t you? Did you really prefer being out of contact with Houston? Why was that? Do you feel that history is not fair to command module pilots? You never actually landed on the Moon. Wasn’t it lonely? What about music – what was your mix tape for the Moon? What was your favourite food during the flight? What went through your mind when the lunar lander began its landing on the Moon? I was, and still am, an absolute Beatles fan – I just love them. I also carried some Elton John, some John Denver and the Blue Danube Waltz.
Question not used:
But you were 250,000 miles away from home, weren’t you? Did you really prefer being out of contact with Houston? Why was that? Do you feel that history is not fair to command module pilots? You never actually landed on the Moon. Wasn’t it lonely? What about music – what was your mix tape for the Moon? What was your favourite food during the flight? What went through your mind when the lunar lander began its landing on the Moon?