Astronaut. After he graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1951, he joined the US Air Force, earned his pilot wings, and became a flight instructor. After various services, he was assigned to top-secret test missions and was accepted into the astronaut program in 1966. At NASA, he was put in charge of the testing program for the lunar landing module that was under construction. On July 30, 1971, Irwin piloted Apollo 15's lunar module Falcon, which touched down in a plain near the moon's Apennine mountain range. The next day, he became the eighth American astronaut to walk on the lunar surface. He retired from NASA in 1972 and founded the High Flight Foundation, an interdenominational religious organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. James Irwin died of a heart attack at age 61 in 1991. He was survived by his wife Mary Ellen and five children.
Astronaut. After he graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1951, he joined the US Air Force, earned his pilot wings, and became a flight instructor. After various services, he was assigned to top-secret test missions and was accepted into the astronaut program in 1966. At NASA, he was put in charge of the testing program for the lunar landing module that was under construction. On July 30, 1971, Irwin piloted Apollo 15's lunar module Falcon, which touched down in a plain near the moon's Apennine mountain range. The next day, he became the eighth American astronaut to walk on the lunar surface. He retired from NASA in 1972 and founded the High Flight Foundation, an interdenominational religious organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. James Irwin died of a heart attack at age 61 in 1991. He was survived by his wife Mary Ellen and five children.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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