Apollo 15

Apollo 15

Jim Irwin with the Lunar Roving Vehicle on the first lunar surface EVA of Apollo 15
Mission type	Manned lunar landing
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	CSM: 1971-063A LM: 1971-063C
SATCAT no.	CSM: 5351 LM: 5366
Mission duration	12 days, 7 hours, 11 minutes, 53 seconds
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Apollo CSM-112 Apollo LM-10
Manufacturer	CSM: North American Rockwell LM: Grumman
Launch mass	48,599 kilograms (107,142 lb)
Landing mass	5,321 kilograms (11,731 lb)
Crew
Crew size	3
Members	David R. Scott Alfred M. Worden James B. Irwin
Callsign	CSM: Endeavour LM: Falcon
EVAs	1 in space Plus 4 on the lunar surface
EVA duration	39 minutes, 7 seconds Spacewalk to retrieve film cassettes
Start of mission
Launch date	July 26, 1971, 13:34:00.6 (1971-07-26UTC13:34Z) UTC
Rocket	Saturn V SA-510
Launch site	Kennedy LC-39A
End of mission
Recovered by	USS Okinawa
Landing date	August 7, 1971, 20:45:53 (1971-08-07UTC20:45:54Z) UTC
Landing site	North Pacific Ocean 26°7′N 158°8′W / 26.117°N 158.133°W / 26.117; -158.133 (Apollo 15 splashdown)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Selenocentric
Periselene	101.5 kilometers (54.8 nmi)
Aposelene	120.8 kilometers (65.2 nmi)
Inclination	23 degrees
Epoch	July 30, 1971
Lunar orbiter
Spacecraft component	Command/Service Module
Orbital insertion	July 29, 1971, 20:05:46 UTC
Departed orbit	August 4, 1971, 21:22:45 UTC
Orbits	74
Lunar lander
Spacecraft component	Lunar Module
Landing date	July 30, 1971, 22:16:29 UTC
Return launch	August 2, 1971, 17:11:23 UTC
Landing site	Hadley–Apennine 26°07′56″N 3°38′02″E / 26.13222°N 3.63386°E / 26.13222; 3.63386 (Apollo 15 landing)
Sample mass	77 kilograms (170 lb)
Surface EVAs	4 (including standup)
EVA duration	19 hours, 7 minutes, 53 seconds Standup: 33 minutes, 7 seconds First: 6 hours, 32 minutes, 42 seconds Second: 7 hours, 12 minutes, 14 seconds Third: 4 hours, 49 minutes, 50 seconds
Lunar rover
Distance covered	27.9 kilometers (17.3 mi)
Docking with LM
Docking date	July 26, 1971, 17:07:49 UTC
Undocking date	July 30, 1971, 18:13:16 UTC
Docking with LM Ascent Stage
Docking date	August 2, 1971, 19:10:25 UTC
Undocking date	August 3, 1971, 01:04:01 UTC
Payload
Scientific Instrument Module Lunar Roving Vehicle
Mass	SIM: LRV: 463 pounds (210 kg)
Left to right: Scott, Worden, Irwin Apollo program ← Apollo 14 Apollo 16 →

1 in space

39 minutes, 7 seconds

Apollo 15 was the ninth manned mission in the United States' Apollo program, the fourth to land on the Moon, and the eighth successful manned mission. It was the first of what were termed "J missions", long stays on the Moon, with a greater focus on science than had been possible on previous missions. It was also the first mission on which the Lunar Roving Vehicle was used.

The mission began on July 26, 1971, and ended on August 7. At the time, 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, including 18½ hours outside the spacecraft on lunar extra-vehicular activity (EVA). The mission landed near Hadley rille, in an area of the Mare Imbrium called Palus Putredinus (Marsh of Decay). The crew explored the area using the first lunar rover, which allowed them to travel much farther from the Lunar Module (LM) than had been possible on missions without the rover. They collected 77 kilograms (170 lb) of lunar surface material. At the same time, Command Module Pilot Alfred Worden orbited the Moon, using a Scientific Instrument Module (SIM) in the Service Module (SM) to study the lunar surface and environment in great detail with a panoramic camera, a gamma-ray spectrometer, a mapping camera, a laser altimeter, a mass spectrometer, and a lunar sub-satellite deployed at the end of Apollo 15's stay in lunar orbit (an Apollo program first).