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James Benson Irwin (March 17, 1930 – August
8, 1991) was a member of the Apollo 15 mission and
the eighth man to walk on the Moon.  He was the
first man to drive a lunar rover on the Moon.

Irwin was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He
graduated from East High School, Salt Lake City,
Utah. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in
naval science from the United States Naval Academy
in 1951 and a Master of Science in aeronautical
engineering and instrumentation engineering from
the University of Michigan in 1957.

Upon graduation from the Naval Academy, he was
commissioned in the United States Air Force. He
received his flight training at Hondo Air Base and
Reese Air Force Base, Texas. He graduated from the
U.S._Air_Force_Test_Pilot_School|Air Force
Experimental Test Pilot School in 1961 and the Air
Force Aerospace Research Pilot School in 1963.
Prior to joining NASA, he was Chief of the
Advanced Requirements Branch at Headquarters Air
Defense Command.

Irwin was one of the 19 astronauts selected by
NASA in April 1966. He also served as a member of
the astronaut support crew for Apollo 10 and as
backup lunar module pilot for the Apollo 12
flight. Irwin logged 295 hours and 11 minutes in
space, 19 hours and 46 minutes of which were in
Extra-Vehicular Activity.

Beyond his achievements as an astronaut with NASA,
Irwin is perhaps most notable for his attempts to
use his experiences on the Moon to spread his
belief in Christianity.  He left NASA and retired
from the Air Force with the rank of colonel in
1972 and founded High Flight, a Christian
ministry. He frequently commented about how his
experiences in space had made the presence of God
even more real to him than before.

Beginning in 1973, Irwin led several expeditions
to Mount Ararat, Turkey in search of the remains
of Noah's Ark.  His expeditions failed to find any
sign of the Ark.  In 1982, he was injured during
the descent from the mountain and had to be
carried for part of the way.

Irwin suffered a serious heart attack near his
home in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  He died as
the result of a subsequent heart attack in
Glenwood Springs, Colorado. He is survived by his
wife Mary Ellen and their five children.

==External links==
*http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/irwin-jb.ht
ml Official NASA biography