NASA image of Apollo 15 lunar module pilot Jim Irwin loading the lunar rover with tools and equipment.

St. Louis Astronomical Society Meeting - Apollo XV - 1971 Mission to the Mountains of the Moon

An illustrated presentation by John Newcomer of the St. Louis Astronomical Society

John Newcomer has been a member of the St. Louis Astronomical Society for two decades.  He is a past President of the Society, and a current member of its Executive Board.


From its July 26, 1971 liftoff to its August 7 splashdown, Apollo XV was NASA's fourth successful human lunar landing mission. It was the only landing in a mountainous region, and the first to have the Lunar Roving Vehicle, an electric car, aboard.  The Rover made it possible for astronauts to travel longer distances on the lunar surface.  Astronauts Scott and Irwin logged over seventeen miles and collected 170 pounds of moon rocks and dust.  Mr. Newcomer will review this landmark mission, using NASA photographs from both training and flight, in celebration of its fiftieth anniversary.  


The St. Louis Astronomical Society is an organization for individuals interested in astronomy and telescopes. The public is invited to attend its meetings, telescope observing sessions, and special events. For more information about Astronomical Society events, please visit  www.slasonline.org or call 314- 962-9231.  The event, cosponsored by NASA's Missouri Space Grant Consortium at Washington University, is open to the public free of charge.


To get the link to the Zoom meeting if you are a non-member of SLAS, simply send a request to:  

CONTACTUS@SLASONLINE.ORG