Apollo 15 – First Astronauts To Rove On The Moon!

More Interesting Facts About The Apollo 15 Mission!

• Apollo 15 had a greater focus on science than previous missions, reflected by its four primary mission objectives;
  • Explore and conduct geological investigations of the Hadley-Apennine region around the landing zone
  • Set up and activate a series of surface experiments
  • Evaluate improvements made to the Lunar Module (LM) to facilitate longer flights and test the new Lunar Rover Vehicle (LRV)!
  • The Command Module (CM) pilot left in orbit would conduct experiments and image the lunar surface
• The LM called ‘Falcon’ made a steep approach and successfully landed near the Apennine Range and Hadley Rille Valley.
• Astronauts David Scott and James Irwin became the 7^th and 8^th men to walk on the Moon, on July 31^st.
• The Apollo 15 moonwalkers also collected one of the more famous lunar samples known as the "Genesis Rock" which is over 4 billion years old!
• Scott and Irwin completed a record 18 hours, 37 minutes of exploration during three separate ‘moonwalks’ known otherwise known as ‘extravehicular activities’ (EVAs).
• The pair would also travel 28.2 km (17.5 miles) in the first vehicle (LRV) to be driven on the Moon!
• Before leaving the Moon, David Scott performed a now-famous experiment for the TV audience to demonstrate Galileo's theory that all objects fall at the same rate regardless of mass (in a vacuum). Scott dropped a hammer and feather with both hitting the ground at the same time! You can view it here!
• The two astronauts would spend nearly three full days (66 hours, 55 minutes) exploring, investigating, working and sleeping on the Moon.
• As the LM Falcon lifted off the lunar surface, a TV camera caught the scene for the first time.
• During their final orbit of the Moon the astronauts deployed a small satellite to study the Moon’s gravity field - this was a first for the Apollo program!
• A day after departing the Moon, CM pilot Alfred Worden became the first human to carry out a deep space EVA to retrieve film cassettes in the Service Module which would later burn-up in Earth’s atmosphere.
• Apollo 15 set several new records for crewed spaceflight for time spent on the Moon, in orbit and longest mission overall until Apollo 17!