James Irwin

At 61 years old, James Irwin physical status not available right now. We will update James Irwin's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

NASA career

Irwin was one of NASA's 19 astronauts chosen in April 1966. He was selected as Commander and with John S. Bull as Lunar Module Pilot for LTA-8, an environmental qualification test of the Apollo Lunar Module in a vacuum chamber at the Houston Space Environment Simulation Laboratory. He later served as a member of Apollo 10, the first mission to carry the complete Apollo stack to the Moon, as well as the first crewed Moon landing. Irwin served as backup Lunar Module Pilot for the second Moon landing mission, Apollo 12.

Irwin logged 295 hours and 11 minutes on space between July 26 and August 7, 1971. (LMP) His extravehicular activity (EVA) on the Moon's surface amounted to 18 hours and 35 minutes of mission time (an additional 33 minutes was used for Commander David R. Scott to do a stand-up EVA by opening the LM's docking hatch to survey the environment and photograph). The mission of Irwin and David Scott was more science-based than previous missions, implying that they underwent extensive geological training to satisfy the J-Mission's demanding nature. The Genesis Rock's extra training is credited with enabling them to make one of the Apollo era's most significant discoveries, the Genesis Rock.

Apollo 15 landed in Hadley-Apennine, the Moon's Hadley-Apennine region, renowned for its mountains and rilles. They will spend more time on the Moon than on previous missions in order to allow for three EVAs as a J-Mission. In addition, Irwin was the first passenger on the Moon as Scott led the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) along for this mission (LM) Falcon's Descent Stage. At 66 hours and 54 minutes, Scott and Irwin's stay on the Moon was just under three days.

Irwin and Scott were busy moving rocks like rock samples into the CSM and preparing the Lunar Module for final separation as the rendezvous phase was complete between Falcon and Endeavour CSM. During this lengthy period of work, the first signs of a heart disease were evident. Both Scott and Irwin had been up for 23 hours, during which they did a final moonwalk, performed the ascent from the lunar surface, rendezvoused with Endeavour, and discovered the challenges that delayed the Lunar Module jettison operation. The astronauts' vital signs were being tracked back on Earth, and flight surgeons noticed some anomalies in Irwin's heart rhythms. Irwin's heart had enlarged in anticipation. At the time, Dr. Charles Berry mused to Chris Kraft, deputy director of the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC), "It's serious, [i]f he were on Earth." I'd have him in the ICU being treated for a heart attack. Berry, on the other hand, discovered that Endeavour's cabin atmosphere was 100% oxygen when space, and that Irwin was in the best of circumstances. "In truth, he is in an ICU," says the author. He's getting one hundred percent oxygen, he's being closely monitored, and, best of all, he's in zero g.

Irwin wasn't much more involved in the post-earth injection phase of the mission than helping Al Worden's EVA to retrieve film magazines from the CSM's SIM bay by donning a pressure suit and tracking him. During the remainder of the mission, he was able to rest and apparently recover. The flight surgeons continued to monitor his EKG until splashdown, but his heart rhythm was normal. This incident was not addressed during the mission debriefing sessions, and it did not appear when he returned to Earth.

Post-NASA career

It was discovered that the crew had been on the Moon without authority for 398 commemorative first day covers, which were then sold to a German stamp dealer. The proceeds of the auction were supposed to be used to establish trust funds for the children of Apollo 15's crews. NASA had turned a blind eye to similar activities on previous flights, but the Obama administration had reprimanded the astronauts, and no one was paid for the sales. Prior to the reprimand, Irwin had stated that he planned to retire from the Air Force and resign from NASA. The astronauts surrendered the covers, which were returned in 1983, during subsequent probes by NASA, the Attorney General, and Congress. The action effectively cleared the astronauts, according to a Slate magazine.

Irwin was not a committed Christian during his time at NASA, according to his own admission. Irwin founded the High Flight Foundation after retiring as a colonel in 1972. "Goodwill Ambassador for the Prince of Peace" spent the next 20 years on earth, saying that "Jesus walking on the earth is more relevant than man walking on the moon." He said that his space experiences made God more real to him than ever before. The Christian rebirth, which occurred while Irwin was in space, saved their marriage and made their lives much happier.

Irwin led several expeditions to Mount Ararat, Turkey, in search of Noah's Ark's remains. He was wounded during the descent and had to be carried down the mountain on horseback. Irwin wrote an essay in More Than Earthlings arguing that the Genesis creation story was based on factual, literal history.

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Awards and honors

• Command Pilot Astronaut Wings
• Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
• two Air Force Commendation Medals
• NASA Distinguished Service Medal
• United Nations Peace Medal, 1971
• City of New York Gold Medal, 1971
• City of Chicago Gold Medal, 1971
• Air Force Association's David C. Schilling Trophy, 1971
• Robert J. Collier Trophy, 1971
• Haley Astronautics Award (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics), 1972
• Arnold Air Society's John F. Kennedy Trophy, 1972