'Man's First Wheels on the Moon,' at 41 years

Loading up the first of the Apollo lunar rovers, lunar module pilot Jim Irwin paused to memorialize the placard commemorating 'Man's first wheels on the Moon, Delivered by Falcon, July 30, 1971. Forty-one years later, the relatively low mileage electric car still sits on the plain north of Hadley Rille. Strictly speaking, the Lunokhod teleoperated rover on the opposite side of Mare Iridium were the first "wheels," on the Moon. In American parlance, however, this first of the three Apollo J mission Lunar Electric Rovers, operated by men behind the 'wheel,' were correctly designated the first "wheels" on the Moon AS15-88-11862 [NASA/JSC/ALSJ].

J. Terry White

President and CEO

White Eagle Aerospace, LLC

American Aerospace blog, Seattle Post Intelligencer

Forty-one years ago today, Apollo 15 landed in the Hadley-Appennine region of the Moon. The fourth manned lunar landing, Apollo 15 was one of the most scientifically successful and geologically diverse of the Apollo Lunar Landing Program.

The Apollo 15 Lunar Module Falcon, with Dave Scott and Jim Irwin onboard, landed at 22:16:29 UTC in the Hadley-Appennine region of the Moon on Friday, 30 July 1971.  High overhead, Al Worden orbited the Moon alone in the Command Module (CM) Endeavor.

Read this mission summary, HERE.

And explore the full mission record, videos and pictures 
at the Apollo 15 Lunar Surface Journal, HERE.

Apollo 15 Related Posts:

Follow the tracks of Apollo 15 (March 6, 2012)

Hadley Rille and the Mountains of the Moon (November 8, 2011)
Layers near Apollo 15 landing site (August 30, 2011)

40th Anniversary of Apollo 15 celebrated at Kennedy Space Center, (July 28, 2011)
Retracing the Steps of Apollo 15 (April 17, 2010) 

A Fundamental Point on the Moon (April 13, 2010)
Long-term degradation of optics on the Moon (March 4, 2010)

Al Worden honored with Moon Rock (July 30, 2009)
LROC's First Look at the Apollo Landing Sites (July 17 2009)
Kaguya captures Hadley Rille (May 21, 2009)
The Mighty Apennine Mountain Range (30 September 2008)
Lunar Highs and Lows (July 22, 2008)

Hadley-Apennine: the Apollo 15 Landing Site (November 14, 2007)