Apollo 15: Rovers reach the Moon
Video from the channel Astronomy magazine about Apollo 15, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 17:01. Language: English. Video type: Archive footage.
What it shows
Montage of footage and radio communications from the Apollo 15 mission, with no added narration. It begins with the countdown and liftoff, announced at 9:34 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. It continues with the flyover of the Apennine Mountains and the descent of the lunar module Falcon. During the descent, Irwin calls out altitude, vertical speed and remaining fuel until touchdown, and Scott then reports that the Falcon is on the Hadley plain. The first drive of the rover is then shown, which at first only had rear steering, followed by the climb toward St. George crater. The astronauts collect samples from an angular block partly covered in glass and, on the rim of Spur crater, pick up a white, crystalline fragment. Scott thinks it looks like anorthosite and stows it separately in bag 196. The montage ends with the liftoff of the ascent stage.
When and where it was filmed
The footage and audio are from the mission itself. They include launch control, communications between Scott, Irwin and Worden with the Houston CAPCOM, and the television and film cameras in the Hadley area.
Context
The dialogue reveals details of the exploration. Scott estimates that the rover travels at an average of about 8 km/h and that the rear skids toward 10 to 12 km/h. Both astronauts describe a very bumpy ride and praise the suspension. On the surface, Scott remarks that man must explore. During the ascent, a recording of a military band is heard.