James Irwin
James Benson Irwin was born on the 17th of March 1930 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His parents were James William Irwin and Elsa Mathilda Irwin. They carried Scottish, German, and Irish ancestry within their family lines. The family moved to New Port Richey, Florida, by 1941. He lived at 6006 Grand Boulevard during those early years. A local yearbook from 1942 listed him as a seventh grader despite being only twelve years old. He attended Pierce Elementary School before moving on to Gulf High School. At age twelve he told his mother he wanted to go to the Moon. He graduated from East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1947. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in naval science from the United States Naval Academy in 1951. Later he received Master of Science degrees in aeronautical engineering and instrumentation engineering from the University of Michigan in 1957.
Irwin received initial flight training at Hondo Air Base and follow-up training at Reese Air Force Base in Texas. He graduated from the Air Force Experimental Flight Test Pilot School in Class 60C in 1961. He also completed the Aerospace Research Pilot School in Class IV in 1963. Before joining NASA he served as chief of the Advanced Requirements Branch at Headquarters Air Defense Command. He worked as a developmental test pilot for the Lockheed YF-12 aircraft. His first flight of that Mach 3 fighter-interceptor occurred on the same day one of his five children was born. In 1961 a student pilot crashed the plane they were flying during a training mission. Both survived but Irwin suffered compound fractures and amnesia. He nearly lost a leg before John Forrest saved it. John Forrest was a U.S. Air Force orthopedic surgeon who prevented the amputation. Irwin accumulated more than 7,015 hours of flying time by the end of his military service. Five thousand three hundred hours of that total were spent in jet aircraft.
Between July 26 and the 7th of August 1971 James Irwin logged 295 hours and 11 minutes in space. He served as the lunar module pilot for Apollo 15. The mission landed in the Moon's Hadley-Apennine region which featured mountains and rilles. They spent just under three days on the surface totaling 66 hours and 54 minutes. This duration allowed for three extravehicular activities or moonwalks. Irwin became the first automobile passenger on the Moon when Commander David R. Scott drove the Lunar Roving Vehicle. Their stay included 18 hours and 35 minutes of activity on the lunar surface. An additional 33 minutes were used for a stand-up EVA by Scott to survey surroundings. The mission focused heavily on geological training to meet J-Mission profile demands. This intensive preparation enabled them to discover one of the most important finds of the era known as Genesis Rock. The crew moved items like rock samples into the Command Module Endeavour after completing their tasks.
During the post-trans-Earth injection phase symptoms of a heart condition appeared in Irwin. Both he and Scott had been working without sleep for 23 hours during that period. Flight surgeons noticed irregularities in Irwin's heart rhythms while monitoring vital signs back on Earth. His heart developed bigeminy during this intense work cycle. Charles Berry told Chris Kraft that if Irwin were on Earth he would be in an ICU being treated for a heart attack. Berry concluded that since the cabin atmosphere was 100 percent oxygen in space Irwin was in optimal circumstances. He noted that the zero gravity environment helped reduce strain on his heart. Irwin was able to rest and apparently recover during the rest of the mission. The flight surgeons continued to monitor his EKG until splashdown but his rhythm returned to normal. This incident did not appear when he returned to Earth or during debriefing sessions.
After returning from Apollo 15 Irwin announced his intent to retire from the Air Force and resign from NASA. By 1972 he retired as a colonel and founded the High Flight Foundation. He spent the next 20 years serving as a Goodwill Ambassador for the Prince of Peace. He stated that Jesus walking on the earth is more important than man walking on the moon. Irwin and his wife Mary Ellen said their Christian rebirth saved their marriage. They claimed it made their lives much happier after years of struggle. He became a devout born-again Christian following his return from space. His first marriage had ended after two years due to poor treatment of his wife. The second marriage lasted three decades until his death. He raised five children with Mary Ellen Monroe who was born in 1938.
Beginning in 1973 Irwin led several expeditions to Mount Ararat in Turkey. He searched for physical evidence of Noah's Ark throughout these journeys. In 1982 he was injured during a descent down the mountain. He had to be transported down the mountain on horseback after the accident. Irwin wrote about his views in More Than Earthlings stating that Genesis creation narrative was real literal history. He also published More Than An Ark On Ararat: Spiritual Lessons Learned While Searching For Noah's Ark with Monte Unger in 1985. These trips consumed significant time and energy away from other pursuits. The terrain proved dangerous even for experienced explorers like him.
Irwin suffered three major heart attacks before his final one. One occurred less than two years after Apollo 15 when he was 43 playing handball. He underwent an emergency triple bypass operation following that event. Two months later he suffered another heart attack while skiing in Colorado. A third attack happened on the 6th of June 1986 when he collapsed during a run. Doctors found him pulseless on a curb at that moment. NASA doctors doubted the incidents were related to space travel but noted pre-flight testing showed cardiac arrhythmia tendencies. On the 8th of August 1991 twenty years and a day after returning from the Moon he died of another heart attack. Attempts at resuscitation failed after a bicycle ride. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery as the first of twelve men who walked on the Moon to die. His wife Mary Ellen survived him by three decades.
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Common questions
When and where was James Irwin born?
James Benson Irwin was born on the 17th of March 1930 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His parents were James William Irwin and Elsa Mathilda Irwin.
What mission did James Irwin fly as lunar module pilot?
James Irwin served as the lunar module pilot for Apollo 15 between July 26 and the 7th of August 1971. The mission landed in the Moon's Hadley-Apennine region and included three extravehicular activities or moonwalks.
Why did James Irwin leave NASA after his spaceflight?
After returning from Apollo 15 James Irwin announced his intent to retire from the Air Force and resign from NASA by 1972. He founded the High Flight Foundation and spent the next 20 years serving as a Goodwill Ambassador for the Prince of Peace.
Where did James Irwin search for Noah's Ark starting in 1973?
Beginning in 1973 James Irwin led several expeditions to Mount Ararat in Turkey to search for physical evidence of Noah's Ark. He wrote about these views in books including More Than An Ark On Ararat published with Monte Unger in 1985.
When and how did James Irwin die?
On the 8th of August 1991 twenty years and a day after returning from the Moon James Irwin died of another heart attack following a bicycle ride. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery as the first of twelve men who walked on the Moon to die.