NASA's Apollo 15 Mission: First Space Car Celebrates 50th Anniversary

NASA astronauts fastened in and rode the first automobile across the Moon's surface almost 50 years ago during the Apollo 15 mission.

Since then, the space agency has employed rovers to explore Mars and collect data to better comprehend portions of the universe few people have visited. The recent string of Mars rovers is making preparations to bring back the first-ever Martian rock samples to Earth.

Smithsonian Mag said the Apollo 15 mission is responsible for these achievements by transporting the first Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) to the Moon to increase astronauts' time exploring its surface.

Lunar Car Specs

Astronomy.com said The LRVs were built for NASA by Boeing and General Motors' Delco electronics division. During relatively short lunar stays spanning from 22 to 75 hours, the vehicles are required to minimize weight and increase efficiency. They delivered the first vehicle in March 1971, after work began in 1969. Despite the fact that the original contract was for $19 million, the three LRVs - one each for Apollo 15, 16, and 17 - ended up costing NASA $38 million.

The LRV, per New Atlas, was approximately 10 feet (3 meters) long and 6 feet (1.8 meters) wide in total. It weighed 460 pounds (210 kilograms) empty, and it could carry an extra 1,080 pounds (490 kilograms) with two full-grown men, their 180-pound (82 kg) spacesuits, plus whatever equipment and rocks they could find to bring back to the LM.

Two 36-volt silver-zinc potassium hydroxide batteries powered the vehicle, which drove four 0.25-horsepower motors (one for each of the rover's wheels). The LRV could travel forward and backward at a speed of around 9 miles per hour (14 kilometers per hour) - not quite as fast or as heavy as Whipple and von Braun's anticipated Moon cars, but impressive. It could traverse through crevasses up to 2 feet (0.6 m) wide and over obstacles up to 1 feet (0.3 meters) high, such as rocks.

Instead of a steering wheel, the wheels, drive motors, and brakes were controlled by a T-shaped controller located between the two astronauts' seats. Pressing the forward button moved the rover straight forward (or backward, if the relevant mode was selected) while moving the joysticklike control left or right turned the wheels. Astronauts used a directional gyro (a device that employs a gyroscope to provide headings in airplanes) and an odometer to orient the vehicle during journeys, though they could also use the rover's manual Sun-shadow mechanism if necessary. In addition, the LRV had its own antenna, tool caddies, and cameras.

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Lunar Surface Drove More Than 17 Miles

The New York Times said Commander David Scott and the Lunar Module Pilot drove the rover for around 17 miles on the moon after landing on July 30.

Before returning to Earth, the couple spent hours putting up experiments and gathering 170 pounds of samples.

The astronauts of Apollo 15 set some records while in space. Here is a running list of NASA's accomplishments over the years:

First deep space and operational EVA
Heaviest payload in lunar orbit history
Longest Apollo mission
Longest time in lunar orbit
Most lunar surface EVAs

Where Is The Lunar Car Now?

Astronomy.com said the pioneering lunar rover from Apollo 15 is still on the Moon. If you're in Flagstaff, Arizona, though, pay a visit to the Astrogeology Science Center building and look at the exhibit in the foyer. One of ten custom-built Grovers - temporary training vehicles used by astronauts to practice driving the real thing - may be found there. They honed their skills with the Grover in various locations, including the volcanic cinder fields near Flagstaff.

Each Grover cost $1,900 to make, took three months to complete, and was heavier than the actual rovers that went to the Moon (which would have collapsed in Earth's gravity). The jury-rigged Grover was so cheap, according to the USGS, because specialists used pieces from obsolete automobiles - the steering system is from a Renault, the wheels are from an Olds Tornado - and even landing gear from a B-26 bomber.