Topic: July 26-Aug. 7, 1971: Remembering Apollo 15
Tom Member
Posts: 1610 From: New York Registered: Nov 2000
posted 07-26-2009 12:12 PM
Hard to believe it was 38 years ago this morning (July 26, 2009) that this (at the time) 16 year old "space nut" lived his dream by seeing the launch of Apollo 15 from the Kennedy Space Center.
Happy to say that my interest hasn't diminished a bit since then.
posted 07-26-2009 11:18 PM
July 26th is also my brother's birthday. He was 4 when Apollo 15 launched and today I reminded him that years ago he got a really cool birthday present!
Rick Boos Member
Posts: 851 From: Celina, Ohio Registered: Feb 2000
posted 07-27-2009 12:48 PM
It is hard to believe it's been that many years since Apollo 15, and that Jimmy (Jim Irwin) and others are no longer with us. Apollo 15 was my favorite manned lunar landing mission and every chance I get I look at the center of the moon and think about that flight, and my friend Jimmy. It is so sad that we are loosing these guys. Godspeed Jimmy, you're on your highest flight!
spaceman1953 Member
Posts: 953 From: South Bend, IN Registered: Apr 2002
posted 07-27-2009 08:03 PM
You were very blessed to know Jim Irwin so well and to be so close.
He visited my area at least three times and every single time, you would not have a more pleasant experience meeting one of our heroes, than getting to spend time with him.
It wasn't just all the autographs he was more than happy to give out, it was the time he was happy to take chatting with you about not only spaceflight, but his passion High Flight too. And his face would literally glow as he told the story of the Genesis Rock.
tncmaxq Member
Posts: 288 From: New Haven, CT USA Registered: Oct 2001
posted 07-27-2009 08:04 PM
It was a nice coincidence also that STS-114's return to flight launch was also on July 26, in 2005.
AstroAutos Member
Posts: 803 From: Co. Monaghan, Republic of Ireland Registered: Mar 2009
posted 07-27-2009 08:11 PM
quote:Originally posted by spaceman1953: You were very blessed to know Jim Irwin so well and to be so close.
I agree - I would have loved to have met Mr. Irwin - from what I hear it sounds like he was a wonderful human being.
Delta7 Member
Posts: 1527 From: Bluffton IN USA Registered: Oct 2007
posted 07-27-2009 10:11 PM
If I could have flown one of the lunar landing missions, I'd pick Apollo 15. The landing site was the most spectacular of the 6 in my opinion, and being the first to be able to drive the Rover was icing on the cake.
Looking at pictures of the Hadley Rille still gives me goose bumps!
(By the way, I was 11 years old and spending the summer with cousins in the Panama Canal Zone. I remember the TV news coverage, although it was somewhat skimpy).
Rick Boos Member
Posts: 851 From: Celina, Ohio Registered: Feb 2000
posted 07-28-2009 12:31 AM
I guess I picked up "Jimmy" from hearing Dave Scott calling him that.
Yes, I really do feel blessed to have known Jimmy. Our relationship was something very special and hard to put into words. He was a gift from God not only to me, but for others as well. Jim really did have this special "glow" about him, I don't know how else to state it! You would have see it for yourself. He did have a real passion for High Flight and his fellow man. He LIVED the word, and what others only preached. His Apollo 15 mission really did change his life. After I had my accident and my brother drowned, Jim took me under his wings and we became as close as brothers, and even called each other brother. He was ALWAYS there for me, and told me if I ever needed him he would be there for me..... and he was. One time he even drove all the way to my house to visit me when I was very ill. I was also invited to climb Mt. Ararat with him back in the 80's, something I have always regretted not doing. I know this is off topic, but I just felt like I had to let you know what kind of a special person and friend that he really was.
Michael Davis Member
Posts: 530 From: Houston, Texas Registered: Aug 2002
posted 07-28-2009 08:20 AM
I was eleven at the time of the mission. It was summer break from school and I watched every minute. The entire mission was covered on TV and it was in color. It also had a lunar rover. Heaven. I'm pretty sure that this mission was what caused me to eventually become a physicist. It still holds a special fascination for me.
I lived a few miles from Jim Irwin during the 1980's. I kick myself to this day that I did not take the time to meet him. I had friends who said that he was extremely humble and courteous to everyone. And he appeared frequently at events near me.
Irwin seems to have been just an outstanding person and still remains a hero to me.
tncmaxq Member
Posts: 288 From: New Haven, CT USA Registered: Oct 2001
posted 07-29-2009 12:37 PM
Irwin spoke in East Hartford, Connecticut in 1991. I was honored to meet him at that time. He signed autographs for anyone who asked. He seemed a bit frail though, and spoke slowly though he was only 60 or 61. When he died just a few months later I was stunned and saddened.
Lou Chinal Member
Posts: 1332 From: Staten Island, NY Registered: Jun 2007
posted 07-29-2009 12:51 PM
I met Jim Irwin a few times around mid 80's. He seemed full of life and optimism. I would not have picked him to be the first moonwalker to shuffle off this mortal coil.
Darron Member
Posts: 22 From: Port Salerno, FL, USA Registered: Mar 2009
posted 08-02-2009 08:37 PM
Keep meaning to chime in that 15 was special for me as well - it was the last Apollo launch I saw from inside the fence before lay off; and the only one I had anything to do with, though very minor. While it was being stacked in the VAB, I was an on-loan assistant to the integration crews buzzing out wiring connections between stages and ultimately up to the IU. Being 'young and green,' I really just carried test boxes & connector adaptors for the engineers -- but on launch I did know something I'd touched was leaving earth... A curious mixed feeling of pride, and 'God, I hope I didn't screw up!'
derek Member
Posts: 297 From: N.Ireland. Registered: Jul 2002
posted 08-06-2009 02:48 AM
I met Jim on five of his speaking/preaching tours here, very inspiring. Asked him how many times he'd parachuted - I'd just done four - he replied, "Never!" He said he didn't have time to stand in Falcon's shadow to let his eyes adjust to see stars.
KSCartist Member
Posts: 2913 From: Titusville, FL USA Registered: Feb 2005
posted 08-06-2009 05:12 AM
quote:Originally posted by tncmaxq: Irwin spoke in East Hartford, Connecticut in 1991.
I was the guy who arranged Irwin's talk in East Hartford in (April) 1991. He spoke at my wife's cousins movie theatre on Main Street. I've got photos around here that I'll post.
I had met him in West Hartford the year before and compared to then yes, he did look frail - but he had an inner strength that came from doing God's work.
He loved speaking to people about walking on the Moon but he really brightened up when discussing his search for Noah's Ark. A gracious man who finally has the answers he was looking for.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3324 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 07-26-2011 09:54 AM
Today (July 26, 2011) marks the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 15. Were any other members at the Kennedy Space Center back in the summer of 1971 to witness the launch in person? Any additional comments on the liftoff and the mission?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 43576 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 07-26-2011 11:13 AM
NASA Headquarters contract archivist Liz Suckow (@LizMSuckow) is live tweeting the Apollo 15 mission as if it happened today.
astro-nut Member
Posts: 970 From: Washington, IL Registered: Jan 2006
posted 08-06-2011 09:45 AM
I, too, consider Apollo 15 the best moon landing. Hadley-Rille is and must have been the best site to land on and find valuable information from the Moon. I watch Apollo 15 videos time after time and never get tired of see the Rille and Hadley Base. I would love to get the chance to go there someday!!
I have met Dave Scott and can listen to him talk about the Apollo 15 mission and walking at Hadley-Rille. I learn everytime he talks about it.
I have never had the pleasure of meeting Jim Irwin but I would of have loved to. Colonel Irwin was a great christian man, a great pilot and astronaut! When I was in the military, Colonel Irwin would write to me and I would always enjoy his letters. His wife, Mary and Daughter Jill also wrote to me once. In his letters you could tell of his love for God, country and walking on the Moon. Yes, he was proud of the "Genesis Rock".
May God Bless the Apollo 15 crew and Jim thank you for your many letters!
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3324 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 08-06-2011 10:45 AM
Apollo 15 seemed to have it all - the stunning landing site, the LRV, the extended stay, the transearth EVA. It was a stroke of genius to put that camera on the rover so we could ride along and watch the moonwalks unfold as they happened. Forty years later, it's still the next-best thing to being there. The flight of Apollo 15 truly was "exploration at its greatest".
Jay Chladek Member
Posts: 2272 From: Bellevue, NE, USA Registered: Aug 2007
posted 08-03-2012 06:29 AM
This week I've been reading Al Worden's book "Falling to Earth". Given I was so wrapped up in my own book research, I didn't have time to read it before Spacefest (and like a dummy, I forgot to take the book with me).
But it was an honor to help moderate the big panel discussion room during the event and getting a chance to meet and work with Al was a memory I will cherish. I'm glad he's finally had the chance to tell his story. He is truely a class act and one of the most down to Earth individuals I have ever met.
As for another great Apollo 15 memory, I remember seeing "Magnificent Desolation" in 3D at the IMAX theater when it came out. For the LM descent and landing, they used Falcon descending into Hadley. Although 3D glasses don't work well with my vision, I could FULLY appreciate just how close the mountains below looked as Falcon went streaking overhead on its descent burn. Prior to that moment, the area only seemed two dimensional.
Tom Rednour Member
Posts: 49 From: Beacon, NY 12508 Registered: Dec 2014
posted 07-26-2016 08:15 AM
Time line graphics for Apollo 15 (EDT and UTC versions). I added some more details for this update. Feedback appreciated — thanks!
cspg Member
Posts: 6222 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 08-05-2016 12:17 PM
Interesting picture from Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) for Aug. 5, 2016.
This digitally stitched panorama shows Scott examining a boulder on the slope of 3.5 kilometer high Mons Hadley Delta to the left of their electric-powered, four-wheel drive vehicle. The sun at his back, Irwin casts the strong shadow to the rover's right. The panoramic view extends farther right to the sunward direction, over Hadley Rille and lunar terrain, revealed in harsh, unfiltered sunlight.
I think it's the first picture I see that truly shows the slopes of the landscape.
LM-12 Member
Posts: 3324 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Oct 2010
posted 08-05-2016 12:46 PM
The ALSJ has the Station 2 pan in the sequence the photos were taken. Scott was at the rover when Irwin started the pan.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 43576 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 08-08-2016 03:25 PM
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force video
An interview with museum curator Dr. Doug Lantry discussing the Apollo 15 mission on the anniversary of the landing date which was August 7, 1971.
Blackarrow Member
Posts: 3160 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
posted 08-08-2016 06:00 PM
Let us not forget that today (8th August, 2016) is the 25th anniversary of the death of Jim Irwin, the first of the 12 Moonwalkers to pass away. He was only 61, the age I am now.
Tempus fugit.
Rick Mulheirn Member
Posts: 4208 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
posted 08-09-2016 05:38 AM
I had been interested in space from the age of 9, but as a 14 year old the extended TV coverage of Apollo 15 really cemented my passion for the subject
Ian Limbrey Member
Posts: 130 From: England Registered: Nov 2012
posted 08-09-2016 07:24 AM
Apollo 15 was also my favourite mission and the night before they landed, I saw a very sharp point of sun light being reflected off the docked craft as they came round from the dark side of the moon which I viewed through my 3 inch refractor telescope (having waited about 20 minutes), absolutely amazing sight! Would you believe I had a boss in London who worked for Dave Scott after he left NASA in the financial market in London!
schnappsicle Member
Posts: 396 From: Houston, TX, USA Registered: Jan 2012
posted 08-09-2016 07:38 AM
I watched most of the Gemini and all of the Apollo missions on TV as they were happening. I remember staying up all night staring at a seemingly still image of Antares waiting to see if Shepard and Mitchell would reach Cone Crater. I wished the astronauts would have carried a TV with them so I wouldn't have to wait for the photos in Life Magazine to see what the astronauts saw. Lucky for me, Apollo 15 happened.
If memory serves me correctly, EVA 1 occurred on a Saturday morning. I still have a newspaper with a photo of Jim's wife Mary and their five children attending church instead of watching Jim walk on the moon. I myself was in a similar situation. I was 15 at the time and my stepfather felt I needed work experience, so he took me to work with him every Saturday. There wasn't a TV anywhere for me to watch the first EVA.
When I got home that evening, my little brother told me how great the EVA was. He was especially impressed with the scenery at Station 2. What he said made me regret missing it. I carried that regret for almost 35 years before I found Spacecraft Films. The first two I bought were Apollo 8 and Apollo 11. The third one I bought was Apollo 15. Naturally, the first DVD I popped into my player was EVA 1. I'd seen the photos billions of times, but to finally see and hear it as it happened was truly a special moment for me.
During the Apollo 15 mission, my mother happened to notice a bunch of television truck towers in the Nassau Bay neighborhood just across the street from JSC. She came home and told me about what she'd seen. I told her that must have been one of the astronauts houses. I begged her to take me by there, but she refused.
Two weeks later, she finally got tired of hearing me beg, so she drove me by the house. I had no expectations on the short two-mile drive from our apartment complex to the house in Nassau Bay. I remember regretting the fact that I wouldn't get to see anything. When we finally got there, I saw two men talking in the front yard. I immediately recognized the one wearing only a pair of shorts and sneakers. I'm not sure who Dave Scott was talking to, but I can only assume it was his next door neighbor, Richard Gordon.
I begged my mother to stop and let me go ask for an autograph, but she refused, and rightly so. I did take note of the house number and several months later, I sent him a few photos to sign, which he graciously signed and returned to me with his own stamps and envelope.
Scott was my first astronaut autograph. I also wrote to Jim Irwin and got several autographed photos from him in addition to the ones I sent him. To this day, I'm still amazed at the willingness of those men to sign anything I sent them. They even wrote me back and answered all my questions. I've long since lost the letters, but thankfully, I still have the photos hanging on my wall.
Back in 2012, I met Scott for the first time at Spacefest. He was late in arriving that Saturday morning. I waited several hours at his table hoping he wouldn't cancel. He was the last autograph I needed before I jumped back in my car and drove the 17 hours back to Houston. When he finally showed up, I told him the story about the first time I saw him in person. He seemed genuinely excited to hear about my brush with greatness all those years ago. I made sure to thank him for all the free autographs he'd given me in the past before paying for a Gemini 8 autograph.
While Apollo 15 was the most exciting and beautiful lunar landing mission, what made it special for me was the men who flew it. Had they not been so gracious and giving to an excited teenager, I might easily have lost interest in something that meant all the world to me at the time, and still does. I never had the chance to meet Jim, but I'm more than happy with the opportunity I had to thank both Dave and Al for the large part they played in making my dream come true.
Ken Havekotte Member
Posts: 2983 From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard Registered: Mar 2001
posted 08-09-2016 09:26 AM
Enjoyed all the stories above about the Apollo 15 crew and flight. It was also 45 years ago that I had the opportunity to witness the launch of AS-510 "live" here at the Kennedy Space Center as a junior high schooler.
Apollo 15 was the first extended scientific exploration of the moon that included, of which Col. Irwin was very excited about, the discovery of the 4-billion-year old "Genesis Rock," that Scott and Irwin had collected from their Hadley-Apennine landing site. Their exciting voyage was said by many to be the most scientifically rewarding expedition ever undertaken by man.
Little did I know that years later I would have the opportunities to meet, know, and work with the flight crewmembers, mainly Irwin and Worden.
I would have to credit Jim Irwin as the first astronaut that took me under his wing since out first visits together.
Shortly after his return from the moon, Irwin spoke at the church that I attended on Merritt Island, FL. I remember going up after the services and asked, in a very shy speech-impaired way, if he could autograph my single Apollo 15 launch day cover. He said he'll be glad to and started a short conversation with me.
Before I started to walk away, Irwin asked me to contact him by mail to his newly-established High Flight Foundation, a Christian evangelical organization based in Colorado.
I said, "Of course sir, I would be happy to," and that was the start of a long and special friendship, not only with the lunar, earthly, and spiritual explorer himself, but with some of his family members as well.
He helped me out of a teenage shyness and helped build-up my character as a believer and brother in our Lord Jesus Christ. Even to this day, I miss him dearly.
posted 07-26-2009 12:12 PM
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