But at the 50th anniversary of Apollo 15, which launched on July 26, 1971, some space enthusiasts, historians and authors are giving the lunar rover its due as one of the most enduring symbols of the American moon exploration program.įoldable, durable, battery-powered and built by Boeing and General Motors, the vehicle is seen by some as making the last three missions into the crowning achievement of the Apollo era. Apollo 11 and Apollo 13 are the NASA lunar missions that tend to be remembered most vividly. Like many lunar samples returned to Earth by the final Apollo missions, Seatbelt Rock never would have been collected if the astronauts had not brought a car with them. Scott described what he’d done, and “Seatbelt Rock” became one of the most prized geologic finds from Apollo 15. The sample was discovered when the astronauts returned to Earth, Mr. Scott made up a story that they stopped the rover because he was fidgeting with his seatbelt.
They also knew that if they asked for permission to stop and get it, clock-watching mission managers would say no. Irwin had been trained in geology and knew the specimen, a vesicular rock, would be valuable to scientists on Earth.
LUNAR ROVER FULL
Scott scrambled out of the rover and quickly picked up a black lava rock, full of holes formed by escaping gas. After a 6-hour inaugural jaunt in the new lunar rover, the two were heading back to their lander, the Falcon, when Mr. It was July 31, 1971, and he and Jim Irwin, his fellow Apollo 15 astronaut, were the first people to drive on the moon. Dave Scott was not about to pass by an interesting rock without stopping.
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