THIS DAY IN HISTORY: Apollo 15 Crew Returns Safely Despite Parachute Malfunction
By Space Coast Daily // August 7, 2025
August 7, 1971
ABOVE VIDEO: On this day in 1971, NASA’s Apollo 15 mission concluded with a dramatic splashdown 335 miles north of Honolulu after a successful 12-day journey to the Moon and back.
HONOLULU – On this day in 1971, NASA’s Apollo 15 mission concluded with a dramatic splashdown 335 miles north of Honolulu after a successful 12-day journey to the Moon and back.
While the return was largely routine, a minor scare occurred during the descent phase.
One of the command module’s three main parachutes failed to inflate properly, causing the capsule to strike the Pacific Ocean at a faster-than-expected speed of 22 mph (35 km/h) — slightly higher than the nominal landing speed of 19 mph.
Despite the rougher-than-planned splashdown, astronauts David Scott, Alfred Worden, and James Irwin were unharmed and safely recovered by U.S. Navy recovery forces.
Apollo 15 was the ninth crewed mission in the Apollo program and the fourth to land on the Moon. It was also the first to utilize the Lunar Roving Vehicle, allowing astronauts to explore more of the Moon’s surface than ever before.
The mission’s successful return — even in the face of a parachute malfunction — highlighted the resilience of NASA’s engineering and planning, ensuring astronaut safety even under unexpected conditions.
