Apollo 15

Apollo 15 was the number nine manned mission in the Apollo program and the fourth lunar landing. It was the first of the ”J missions” which were planned to stay on the Moon longer and deal with more science experiments. The mission began on July 26, 1971, and concluded on August 7. NASA called it the most successful manned flight ever achieved. Commander David Scott and Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin spent three days on the Moon and a total of 18½ hours outside the spacecraft on lunar extra-vehicular activities(EVA’s). Another mission first was that it did not to land in a Lunar sea, instead landing near Hadley rille in an area of the Mare Ibrium called Palus Putredinus (the Marsh of Decay). The crew explored the area using the first lunar rover allowing them to travel much farther from the lunar module lander than had previously been possible. They collected a total of 77 kg of lunar surface material.

Apollo 15 Command Module Pilot Alfred Woldren orbited the Moon, using a Scientific Instrument Module (SIM) to study the lunar surface and environment in great detail using a panoramic camera, gamma ray spectrometer, mapping camera, laser altimeter, mass spectrometer, and lunar sub-satellite that was launched at the end of the mission.

The Lunar Roving Vehicle, or the Rover, had been in development since May 1969, by Boeing. It could be folded into a space1.5 m by 0.5 m. Unloaded it weighed 209 kg and when carrying two astronauts and their equipment,700 kg. Each wheel was independently driven by ¼ horsepower (200 W) electric motor. Although it could be driven by either astronaut, the Commander always drove. Traveling at speeds up to 12 km/h, it meant that for the first time the astronauts could travel far afield from their lander and still have enough time to do some serious scientific experiments.

There were many changes made for the Apollo 15 mission. Spacesuits had to be redesigned to make it possible to sit upright in the rover and the Saturn V rocket itself needed extra power to lift the additional equipment off of the ground and into a newer, lower Earth parking orbit.

Here on Universe Today we have the latest images of the landing sites from the Apollo missions. Here is a nice article on the Apollo 15 mission. Astronomy Cast offers a great episode on future missions to the Moon.

Reference:
NASA Apollo 15

Tagged as: Apollo 15, apollo missions, apollo program, Scientific Instrument Module