It’s been 50 years since the Apollo 15 program made it to the Moon. More precisely, it was the fourth crewed mission from the Apollo program to land on our natural satellite. Humanity plans to return to the Moon until the end of the current decade and make it a much more worthy journey. Astronomers aim to build a base there along with the Artemis mission of NASA.
Until that glorious moment, let’s rewind what happened 50 years ago with the Apollo 15 mission. A unique photo shows how James Irwin salutes the USA flag put on the Moon on August 2, 1971. The mission represented the first from the J series, having a longer stay on our natural satellite and a greater focus on science compared to earlier landings.
The first use of the Lunar Roving Vehicle
The Apollo 15 mission also marked the first use of the Lunar Roving Vehicle, meaning a rover of four wheels and powered by batteries that was used in the last three Apollo missions during 1971 and 1972: 15, 16, and 17. The rover is also called the Moon buggy.
Feel free to check out the new footage revealing the Moon landing in great detail:
The new video was released to Fox News, and the pictures were remastered by “Apollo Remastered” author Andy Saunders. You can see the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) as it was manoeuvred by Commander David Scott and Lunar Module Pilot Jim Irwin.
NASA aims to land the first female astronaut and a male astronaut on the South Pole of the Moon by 2024 during the Artemis mission. If the goal turns out to be successful, Mars will become the next destination.
Will it be possible to ever inhabit Mars? While astronomers are optimistic, only time will tell for sure. It could represent the only chance for the survival of our species for millions of years more.
