Apollo 15

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General Information

Program

Apollo program

Operator

Rocket

Saturn V

Launch site

Cape Kennedy or KSC ^[note]

CSM

Endeavour

LM

Seahawk

Mission Details

Purpose

Scout for a base.
Search for ice.

Crew

Edward Baldwin
Molly Cobb
Frank Sedgewick

Start date

18 October 1971

End date

29 October 1971

Duration

11 days

Mission Patch

Apollo 15 was a lunar mission by NASA launched on October 18, 1971, with the aim to scout for a permanent Moon base and possibly find water ice in lunar craters. It consisted of mission commander Ed Baldwin, CSM pilot Frank Sedgewick, and new female astronaut and LEM pilot Molly Cobb, who became the first American woman both in space and on the Moon.

The CSM of Apollo 15 was called Endeavour while the LEM was called Seahawk. The designated landing site was Mare Frigoris^W at the far north of the Moon.^[1]

History[]

Ed was initially removed from the program after commenting to the press about the lost Moon race.^[2] However, he was let back onto the mission after testifying to congress.^[3] Gordo Stevens was promised a spot for Apollo 15 if he complied to his wife Tracy joining the new NASA program to train woman astronauts.^[4] However, after 4 female astronauts had been trained and presented to the press by Deke Slayton, he was later replaced by Molly Cobb.^[5]
Apollo 15 was launched on 18 October 1971.^[6] ^[note] CAPCOM for the mission was Fred Talmadge.

While in lunar orbit, they made spectroscopies of the surface. After analyzing them, the crew was informed that NASA geologist Ray Schumer and his team expect an up to 500 times higher ice concentration around Shackleton crater at the lunar south pole. Ed wanted them to change the plan and land there, however, flight director Gene Kranz gave this a big thumbs down, as this would be over 4000 km from the planned place and too big of a risk, also they wouldn't have the gear for that kind of exploration. He wanted to re-task Apollo 16 for Shackleton and have them land at Mare Frigoris as planned.^[1]

However, NASA administrator Thomas Paine put pressure on Gene and Deke as he wanted them to land where the ice is and not wait for 16, because the CIA would have indication that the Soviets plan to place military assets on the Moon, and president Nixon would therefore want an American Moon base as soon as possible. Deke said that is was up to the crew to decide. After some discussions, Seahawk landed on the rim of Shackleton Crater, close to the future location of the Jamestown base.^[1]

On day 2 on the lunar surface, Ed and Molly went to the crator with the objective of trying to find water ice. Missing appropriate equipment, Molly was let down to the crater on a makeshift winch from the Moon rover. Just before her oxygene was nearly used up, she successfully found some ice and saved it in a plastic bag to bring it back to Earth.^[1]

After 3 days on the Moon, Seahawk was lifting off, met with Sedge waiting with Endeavour in orbit, and the crew flew back home safely.

Notes[]

It is not clear from where Apollo 15 launched. Aleida was given a ticket to Cape Kennedy by her father and was told to exit at the last stop, Cape Kennedy.^[7] The visitor badge of Wayne Cobb however, watching the launch together with Karen Baldwin and Gloria Sedgewick, shows Kennedy Space Center on it.^[8]

The show constantly mixes or confuses Cape Kennedy^W and the Kennedy Space Center^W. So are most Apollo missions said to launch from Cape Kennedy both in dialogue and captions, although the footage used is always from KSC. In season 2, they mention both the Cape and the KSC, using mostly the same footage for both locations but with different caption.

In reality, no Saturn V ever launched from the Cape, as it did not suit the much larger rocket and was one of the reasons, the KSC was built.