On July 31, 1971, Apollo 15 astronauts David R. Scott and James B. Irwin conducted the first-ever lunar rover drive. They drove the four-wheeled lunar rover across the rugged lunar surface, crossing craters and rocks for several kilometers. Scott and Irwin became the seventh and eighth people to walk on the moon, and they were also the first to drive a vehicle on the lunar surface.
They landed in the "Rain Sea" on the moon on the 30th, and at 9:25 AM Eastern Time on the 31st, they departed from the Falcon lunar module. A few minutes later, they unloaded the rover from the spacecraft and began their exploration journey. The rover's front steering wheel was not functioning properly, but it was designed with only rear-wheel drive, and the rear wheels worked well.
When the astronauts stopped on the edge of the Elbow Crater, the mission control in Houston turned on the rover's television camera, sending very clear color images to Earth. Television viewers could see the astronauts selecting and collecting lunar rock samples. At one point, they excitedly exclaimed, "There are some beautiful rocks here for geological study."
They drove for two hours, covering 8 kilometers, and then returned to the lunar module. As planned, Scott and Irwin will drive the rover for more trips in the next two days. They will join with another Apollo 15 astronaut, Alfred M. Worden, who is in the command module, and return together.
1971年7月31日,“阿波罗15”号宇航员戴维斯·R·斯科特和詹姆斯·B·欧文进行了人类首次月球车行驶,他们驾驶着4轮月球车,在崎岖不平的月球表面上,越过陨石坑和砾石行驶了数公里。斯科特和欧文成为在月球上漫步的第7位和第8位人,而且是第一 个在月球上驾车行驶的。
他们于30日在月球的“雨海”登陆,并于美国东部时间31日上午9时25分离开“隼”号登月舱。几分钟之后,他们从宇宙飞船上卸下月行车,开始了他们的勘探旅行。游车的前舵轮操作不灵,但是按设计只有后轮驱动,后驱动轮运转良好。
当宇航员们在埃尔鲍陨石坑的边沿停下时,位于休斯顿的任务控制台打开了游车的电视摄影机,向地球传送非常清晰的彩色图像。电视观众可以看到宇航员挑选和采集月石标本。有一次,他们兴奋地喊道,“这里有些漂亮的供地质研究用的岩石。”
他们驾车行驶了两小时,走了8公里,之后又回到登月舱。按计划,斯科特和欧文将在后两天驾驶月行车做更多的旅行。他们将同在指挥船中的另一名“阿波罗 15”号宇航员阿尔弗雷德· M·沃顿会合,一起返回。