Next week will mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 15—the fourth crewed mission to reach the moon. Launched on July 26, 1971, Apollo 15 became the first Apollo mission to carry a lunar roving vehicle (LRV) to the lunar surface. While the command module pilot, Alfred Worden, remained in orbit around the moon, the commander, David Scott, and the lunar-module pilot, James Irwin, set down on the Hadley-Apennine landing site. The two astronauts later unfolded and deployed the 460-pound LRV (among other gear and experiments), and over the next three days they drove it about 17 miles (28 kilometers) across the lunar landscape. When they were done, they parked the “moon buggy” a short distance from the lunar module, where it still sits today—the first of three rovers left on the moon by Apollo missions. Gathered here are images of the development, training, and deployment of the first vehicle driven by humans on the surface of another world.
Apollo’s First Lunar Rover, Driven 50 Years Ago
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The lunar rover sits in its final parking place, seen in this composite image made on August 3, 1971. On their final day on the moon, the commander, David Scott, parked the lunar roving vehicle (LRV) a short distance from the lunar module (LM) landing craft, positioning it so the television camera on the front pointed toward the LM to monitor its liftoff in a couple of hours. The light-colored square on the ground behind the rover is a small plaque, placed by Commander Scott, inscribed with the names of 14 astronauts and cosmonauts known to have died while developing human space flight. Before he left, Scott also placed a small Bible with a red cover on the control panel of the rover, just visible in this image. #
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The Apollo 15 astronauts David Scott (left) and James Irwin practice navigational maneuvers in the lunar roving vehicle simulator, assisted by the astronaut Joseph P. Allen IV, a support-team member, on July 25, 1971. #
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A large model was built, depicting the planned landing area for Apollo 15. Meant to be used for video feedback for the landing simulator, the model was also used as a low-fidelity stand-in shown on the video screen of the lunar rover simulator seen in the previous photo. The model was mounted to the ceiling of a large room, and computer-controlled cameras moved along its surface, mimicking the moves made by the simulators. #
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The astronauts Irwin and Scott sit in the LRV during a fit check at Kennedy Space Center, alongside the lunar module. The rover was designed to fold up into a small package to be stored for the trip to the moon. #
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This view of Earth was photographed by the Apollo 15 crewmen as they sped toward the fourth lunar landing, after lifting off from Earth on July 26, 1971. The spacecraft was 25,000 to 30,000 nautical miles from Earth when this photo was made. #
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The commander, David Scott, pilots the rover during the second extravehicular activity (EVA). Hanging just in front of his right hand is a traverse map—an overhead photo of the landing site. #
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The astronaut James Irwin holds the rover to keep it from from sliding downhill during the second Apollo 15 lunar surface extravehicular activity on August 1, 1971. Apparently, both of the rover's rear wheels were off the ground. The rover was parked facing downhill on a 15-to-20-degree slope. Commander Scott took this photograph as he was performing other tasks while Irwin held the rover. In the foreground, a lunar rake lies atop a mound. #
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After deploying apparatus for several lunar surface experiments, James Irwin captured this image of the rover and distant lunar module, with the mountains of the Swann Range in the background. #
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James Irwin gives a salute while standing beside the deployed United States flag at the Hadley-Apennine landing site on August 1, 1971. The flag was deployed toward the end of EVA-2. Hadley Delta in the background rises approximately 4,000 meters (about 13,124 feet) above the plain. The base of the mountain is approximately five kilometers (about three miles) away. #
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