Apollo 15 spacesuit with moondust - Smithsonian Air and Space Museum - 2012-05-15
Space suit, helmet, and gloves worn by Dave Scott during the Apollo 15 lunar landing in July 1971. On display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
The dust you see on the suit is moondust.
Apollo 15 was fourth manned mission to the Moon. It was designed to last a lot longer than previous stays on the Moon, so that additional scientific experiments could be conducted. The mission began on July 26, 1971, and concluded on August 7.
Commander David Scott and Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin landed the Lunar Module "Falcon" on the Moon, and spent three days there. This included 18.5 hours outside the LM. This was the first mission to not land on a "mare" (the so-called "lunar seas", or flat and smooth plains of basaltic lava). Instead, Apollo 15 landed near Hadley rille near Palus Putredinus (the Marsh of Decay). The crew explored the area using the Lunar Rover. Pilot Alfred Worden flew the Command Module "Endeavor" in orbit above the Moon, conducting numerous science experiments and even deploying a satellite in lunar orbit.
The spacesuit worn on Apollo 15 was a new design. Previous Apollo flights featured a suit with the life support, cooling, and communications connections in front in two parallel rows of three. The Apollo 15 "A7L-B" suit, however, placed these in triangular pairs. The zipper was also redesigned. The old zipper went up-and-down. But the new zipper went from the right shoulder to the left hip, and included a waist joint. This meant the astronauts could actually bend over for the first time, and sit on the Lunar Rover. Upgraded backpacks also permitted more time spent outside the LM.
Worden also wore a new spacesuit. While orbiting the Moon, he wore a three-connector suit. But Worden was scheduled to make a spacewalk during the flight home from the Moon. This suit had five connections (not six, since there was no need for liquid cooling). During his spacewalk, he retrieved film cartridges from an experiment on the exterior of the spacecraft.
Apollo 15 spacesuit with moondust - Smithsonian Air and Space Museum - 2012-05-15
Space suit, helmet, and gloves worn by Dave Scott during the Apollo 15 lunar landing in July 1971. On display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
The dust you see on the suit is moondust.
Apollo 15 was fourth manned mission to the Moon. It was designed to last a lot longer than previous stays on the Moon, so that additional scientific experiments could be conducted. The mission began on July 26, 1971, and concluded on August 7.
Commander David Scott and Lunar Module Pilot James Irwin landed the Lunar Module "Falcon" on the Moon, and spent three days there. This included 18.5 hours outside the LM. This was the first mission to not land on a "mare" (the so-called "lunar seas", or flat and smooth plains of basaltic lava). Instead, Apollo 15 landed near Hadley rille near Palus Putredinus (the Marsh of Decay). The crew explored the area using the Lunar Rover. Pilot Alfred Worden flew the Command Module "Endeavor" in orbit above the Moon, conducting numerous science experiments and even deploying a satellite in lunar orbit.
The spacesuit worn on Apollo 15 was a new design. Previous Apollo flights featured a suit with the life support, cooling, and communications connections in front in two parallel rows of three. The Apollo 15 "A7L-B" suit, however, placed these in triangular pairs. The zipper was also redesigned. The old zipper went up-and-down. But the new zipper went from the right shoulder to the left hip, and included a waist joint. This meant the astronauts could actually bend over for the first time, and sit on the Lunar Rover. Upgraded backpacks also permitted more time spent outside the LM.
Worden also wore a new spacesuit. While orbiting the Moon, he wore a three-connector suit. But Worden was scheduled to make a spacewalk during the flight home from the Moon. This suit had five connections (not six, since there was no need for liquid cooling). During his spacewalk, he retrieved film cartridges from an experiment on the exterior of the spacecraft.