During the mission, Scott drove the rover to a place away from the LM, set up his equipment, and left a statuette called the Fallen Astronaut on the descent stage of the crater.The Fallen Astronaut was placed with a plaque that had names of 14 American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts who died in space during space exploration. This was a magnanimous gesture and it was done to pay a tribute to those brave hearts who lost their lives for science.The Apollo 15 mission is one that’s surrounded by many controversies and allegations as well. One such allegation against the crew members was to carry illegal postal covers to the moon for their children which were not sanctioned and permitted, and the covers were put on sale later.Another controversy that surrounds the mission is regarding the Fallen Astronaut statuette that Scott left on the surface of the moon as a tribute. It is said that Scott had struck a verbal arrangement with Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck to sculpt the figurine before the expedition and it was against the strict policy of NASA for commercial exploitation of the state’s space missions. It was alleged that the artist planned to gain fame with the sculpt as his contribution would have been an integral part of space exploration memorials and honors. The artist also planned to gain the rights for the sculpt and sell its copies for profit but under NASA’s immense pressure the artist decided not to sell the remaining copies as the leaked news spread like wildlife all across the United States and the rest of the world.If you want to know and read more such interesting facts, then do check out our other facts articles on Apollo 12 facts and Apollo 18 facts to gain some enriching knowledge and information.Apollo 15 MissionApollo 15 (July 26-August 7, 1971) was a manned mission by NASA in the United States and it was the ninth crewed mission in the Apollo program and the fourth mission that landed on the surface of the moon. It is said to be the first J mission designed to stay for a longer period on the moon and this is what is unique about this mission. Both David Scott and Irwin successfully carried out the perfect Lunar module LM landing. Apollo 15 set various spaceflights records.The Apollo 15 rocket was capable to stay on the moon for extended periods and travel around more freely on the surface. The principal objectives were divided into three categories: lunar surface science, lunar orbital science, and engineering-operational science. Exploration of the Hadley-Apennine area, setting up and activating lunar surface instrumentation, engineering inspections of new Apollo equipment, and lunar orbital experiments and photographic chores were among the mission’s goals. Chemical batteries and solar panels successfully gave the required power supply to the equipment. Between July 30 and August 2 the lunar surface exploration took place to find out more about the moon’s surface and deep space. Commander of the mission crew David R Scott and James b Irwin lunar module pilot of the mission landed near Hadley Rille and used the rover to investigate the immediate region of the Apollo 15 landing site, the lunar rover allowed them to traverse further than previous missions and Apollo 14 had allowed. Extravehicular activity (EVA) or lunar surface EVAS on the Moon’s surface lasted almost 1,812 hr, and they gathered 170 lb (77 kg) of material.The deployment of the Lunar Roving Vehicle to the Hadley-Apennine landing site improved exploration and geological research. The gravitational changes, the moon’s mass and particle composition of space near the moon, and the interaction of the moon’s magnetic field with that of Earth were all investigated by the subsatellite. Pilot Alfred Worden of the Command Module was orbiting the lunar part at the same time, controlling the sensors in the (SIM) bay of the service module. The Lunar Roving Vehicle collected lunar samples and information about the landing site lunar rock with the help of a gamma-ray spectrometer, a panoramic camera, a mapping camera, a mass spectrometer, a laser altimeter, and a lunar subsatellite released after the moonwalks. The Apollo 15 lunar module was safely returned to the Apollo 15 command module, and the engine was ignited for the return voyage at the culmination of Apollo 15’s 74th lunar orbit. During the return journey to Earth, pilot Worden conducted the first deep-space spacewalk.Apollo 15 CrewApollo 15 is said to be one of the most successful Apollo missions that were launched by NASA in the United States. The mission objectives were to successfully land the lunar module on the lunar surface and carry heavy equipment to the moon so that a core sample can be collected for surface experiments. All these things require a competent human force to carry everything smoothly and in a calculated manner.Apollo 15 had one of the most competent crew members under its mission control panel. The Apollo 15 had three brilliant crew members under its head. David R Scott was the commander, James B Irwin was the lunar module pilot, and Alfred J Worden was the Command module pilot of Spacecraft. There was a backup also present for the mission. It consisted of Richard F. Gordon Jr as commander, Harrison H. Schmitt as lunar module pilot, and Vance D. Brand as the command module pilot for Apollo 15. Worden, Scott, and Irwin perfectly performed their responsibility and the mission was a huge success. Alfred Worden was the first human to do deep-space EVA. He exited the SM, retrieved the cassettes from SIM bay, and within 18 minutes he returned to the SM.When did Apollo 15 land on the moon?Apollo 15 started its journey from Earth on July 26, 1971, and the mission duration was 12 days, 7 hours, 11 minutes, and 53 seconds, and the number circles of lunar orbit completed was 74. On July 30 of 1971, around 6:16 in the evening the Apollo 15 spacecraft landed on the surface of the moon in Hadley Rille at the base of the range which is known as the Lunar Apennines mountain range despite the command and service module and LM being undocked with a delay of almost 25 minutes while they are in the lunar orbit.When the spacecraft was landed successfully, Scott went to the upper hatch and took photographs of the moon landing. It was classified as a standup spacewalk and lasted almost 33 minutes. There were three total moonwalks planned to set up cameras on the moon surface and complete all the photographic tasks with the help of the lunar rover. The Lunar Roving Vehicle was taken to the lunar orbit and on the surface of the moon for the first time in history. During the second Moonwalk, the astronauts discovered a green crystalline rock nicknamed “Genesis Rock” because of its assumed antiquity on Mount Hadley Delta. The astronauts also placed a US flag at the end of the second moonwalk. On the third moonwalk, the LRV rode up to 17 mi (27.3 km) away from the spacecraft which set the record for the longest lunar excursion away from the spacecraft. While returning liftoff for the first time it was photographed by a television camera that was remotely operated.Was Apollo 15 successful?The Apollo 15 was a huge success and despite being the first out of the three manned lunar landing advanced missions in the Apollo program series, it set many new records that can be considered as a major success for a manned space mission and it even successfully landed back on Earth in the Pacific Ocean on August 7, 1971.Apollo 15 set many new records that previous Apollo missions couldn’t. It set the record for the highest time and distance traveled on the lunar surface away from the spacecraft. Apollo 15 also set the record for carrying the heaviest load of approximately 107,142 lb (48,599 kg) in the lunar orbit with all equipment set for the mission. Another record which the set during the mission was for the first deep spacewalk in space. Record for the most lunar surface EVA is also under Apollo 15’s head. It was the first mission to carry LRV onto the surface of the moon successfully. It was the first mission to launch a satellite into lunar orbit successfully. It was the longest crewed lunar mission of approximately 295 hours on the moon.Did You Know…Did you know that while the ascent stage or the liftoff of the spacecraft the crew carried it successfully but when it entered the Earth’s atmosphere the speed of the landing suddenly increased due to some miss calculations and there was a slight tilt as one of the three parachutes did not open properly?Despite the last moment complications, the crew landed in the Pacific Ocean safely and was airlifted by a helicopter soon after. Thus, completing one of the most successful space missions of NASA and Apollo project successfully.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Apollo 15 facts then why not take a look at Apollo 10 facts, or Apollo 1 facts.
During the mission, Scott drove the rover to a place away from the LM, set up his equipment, and left a statuette called the Fallen Astronaut on the descent stage of the crater.
