Home » Home » THIS DAY IN HISTORY: Apollo 15 Astronauts Landed on Moon at Hadley-Apennine 55 Years Ago
THIS DAY IN HISTORY: Apollo 15 Astronauts Landed on Moon at Hadley-Apennine 55 Years Ago
Mission marked first use of Lunar Roving Vehicle on the Moon
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – NASA astronauts Dave Scott and Jim Irwin landed the Apollo 15 lunar module Falcon in the Moon’s Hadley-Apennine region 55 years ago today, beginning one of the most scientifically ambitious missions of the Apollo program.
The lunar module touched down on July 30, 1971, at approximately 6:16 p.m. EDT. The landing came four days after Apollo 15 launched aboard a Saturn V rocket from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center.
Apollo 15 was the fourth crewed mission to land astronauts on the Moon and the first of NASA’s extended “J missions,” which were designed to allow longer surface stays, greater mobility and more extensive scientific exploration.
Scott served as mission commander, Irwin was the lunar module pilot and Alfred Worden was the command module pilot. While Scott and Irwin descended to the lunar surface aboard Falcon, Worden remained in lunar orbit aboard the command module Endeavour.
The Hadley-Apennine landing site was selected for its scientific value. Located near the Apennine Mountains and Hadley Rille, the region offered astronauts access to lunar mountains, plains and a deep channel winding across the surface.
Apollo 15 also became the first mission to use the Lunar Roving Vehicle. The battery-powered rover allowed Scott and Irwin to travel farther from their spacecraft and examine a wider variety of geological features than previous Apollo crews.
During three rover excursions, the astronauts traveled approximately 17.5 miles across the lunar surface. They spent more than 18 hours conducting moonwalks and collected about 170 pounds of rocks and soil for scientists on Earth.
Among the mission’s most significant discoveries was the “Genesis Rock,” an ancient piece of the Moon’s primordial crust composed largely of plagioclase feldspar. Scientists believed the sample could provide insight into the Moon’s earliest history.
Scott also conducted the famous hammer-and-feather demonstration, dropping both objects at the same time to show that they would fall together in the Moon’s near-vacuum environment.
Apollo 15 established several human spaceflight records at the time, including the longest crewed lunar mission, the longest time spent in lunar orbit and the greatest distance traveled across the lunar surface. Worden also performed the first deep-space spacewalk during the journey back to Earth.
After spending nearly 67 hours on the Moon, Scott and Irwin lifted off aboard Falcon on Aug. 2 and reunited with Worden in lunar orbit. The three astronauts returned safely to Earth on Aug. 7, completing a mission lasting more than 12 days.
Apollo 15’s success expanded lunar exploration beyond short visits near a landing site and demonstrated how astronauts, vehicles and scientific instruments could work together during extended missions on another world.
