Apollo 15

By Marty McDowell

The Apollo 15 mission was the first mission designed to explore the Moon over longer periods, greater ranges and with more instruments for the collection of scientific data than on previous missions. The mission included the introduction of a $40,000,000 lunar roving vehicle that reached a top speed of 10 mph across the Moon's surface.

The successful Apollo 15 lunar landing mission was the first in a series of three advanced missions planned for the Apollo program. The primary scientific objectives were to observe the lunar surface, survey and sample material and surface features in a preselected area of the Hadley-Apennine region, setup and activate surface experiments and conduct in-flight experiments and photographic tasks from lunar orbit.

NASA The Lunar Roving Vehicle at the Hadley-Apennine landing site. The west edge of Mount Hadley is at the upper right edge of the picture. Mount Hadley is at the upper right edge of the picture. Mount Hadley rises approximately 4,500 meters (about 14,765 feet) above the plain. The most distant lunar feature visible is approximately 15.5 miles away. Image courtesy of NASA.

A total of three moon walks occurred during Apollo 15 for a combined duration of 18 hours and 33 minutes. Commander David Scott and Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin completed the first of the extended lunar scientific expeditions dubbed the J-series.

Apollo 15 televised the first lunar liftoff and recorded a walk in deep space by Alfred Worden. The scientific payload taken to the Moon was double the previous missions.

Source: NASA.

Share Your Memories!

What do you remember about Apollo 15? Have you any compelling stories to share? Share your stories with the world! (We print the best stories right here!)

Space References (Videos):
Cosmos. PBS, 2000.
Stephen Hawking's Universe. PBS, 1997.
Hyperspace. BBC, 2002.
Life Beyond Earth PBS, 1999.
The Planets. BBC, 1999.
Understanding The Universe. A&E, 1996.