NASA’s Apollo 15 Captures Earth’s Crest Over the Lunar Horizon

The Apollo 15 mission in 1971 marked a major advancement in lunar exploration with the debut of a sophisticated lunar rover. Astronauts Scott, Worden, and Irwin carried out extensive scientific experiments and explored new terrain during this groundbreaking journey.

This view of the Earth’s crest over the lunar horizon was taken on July 29, 1971, during the Apollo 15 lunar landing mission. Astronauts David Scott, Alfred Worden, and James Irwin launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a Saturn V launch vehicle.

Designed to explore the Moon over longer periods, greater ranges, and with more instruments for the collection of scientific data than before, Apollo 15 included the introduction of a $40 million lunar roving vehicle (LRV) that reached a top speed of 10 mph (16 kph) across the Moon’s surface.

Upon landing on the Moon at the Hadley-Apennine site, Scott and Irwin conducted four spacewalks, including three excursions using the LRV, for a combined total of 19 hours. Worden remained in orbit aboard the command module Endeavour.

See more photos from the Apollo 15 mission.