Apollo 15's Home on the Moon
Credit: Apollo 15, NASA
The
lunar module
shown above, named "Falcon," served as home for
Apollo 15
astronauts
David
Scott and
James
Irwin during their stay on the Moon in
July and August 1971. Meanwhile, astronaut
Alfred
Worden circled in the command module overhead.
Harsh sunlight on the grey lunar surface lends the image an eerie quality,
while the
Lunar Apennine Mountains frame the background with Mount
Hadley Delta visible on the right. Visible in the foreground are tracks
from the first
Lunar Roving Vehicle,
an electric car which enabled the
astronauts to explore extended areas on the lunar surface.
Apollo 15
confirmed that most lunar surface features were created by
impacts.
Rocks returned by the
Apollo 15
crew included green glasses whose formation
mechanism is still unclear.