PHOTOS – Astronaut Al Worden in Limerick

Al Worden, one of just 24 people to have flown to the moon and arrived in Limerick to speak at a lecture in Limerick Institute of Technology on Tuesday, September 16 and a dinner at the Pavilion in the University of Limerick on Wednesday, September 17.

Worden was one of just 19 astronauts chosen by NASA in 1966 and served as a command module pilot for the historic Apollo 15 in 1971. Space fanatics are expected to descend on Limerick for this rare occasion as Worden is seen as an icon of space travel.

Along with his impressive and fascinating achievements in life, Worden has also been listed as the “Most isolated human being” in the Guinness Book of World Records for his time alone in the command module Endeavour. Worden had no communication with Earth while alone in the spacecraft for three days, on the far side of the moon.

Paul Ryan, a space fanatic and Limerickman has been recognised for bringing Worden to Ireland, “I have had a fascination with space since I was a young boy and dreamed then of becoming an astronaut but that never happened, of course.”

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“Al Worden is a huge name. He is for space enthusiasts what perhaps David Attenborough is for nature lovers. Indeed, space exploration doesn’t have to be your interest at all because he has a captivating human story to tell,” he said.

“There’s magical stuff going on in LIT over recent years as it had an experiment on the last Space Shuttle mission and has another going to the International Space Station shortly so Al will be well at home there” explained Ryan.

Photos by Caleb Purcell for ILoveLimerick.com 2014. All Rights Reserved.

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