Apollo 15: First Moon Buggy Celebrates 45th Anniversary

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Apollo 15 Returns to Earth

NASA

Apollo 15 was the fourth successful mission in which humans walked on the moon. The astronauts returned to Earth on Aug. 7, 1971. The Apollo 15 command module is shown here, splashing down in the mid-Pacific Ocean.

A Successful Mission

NASA

After being picked up by helicopter, the three Apollo 15 crew members were flown to the prime recovery ship, USS Okinawa, located about 6.5 miles (10 km) away. They were welcomed home at Ellington Air Force Base (EAFB) in Houston, Texas.

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Samantha Mathewson
Samantha Mathewson
Contributing Writer

Samantha Mathewson joined Space.com as an intern in the summer of 2016. She received a B.A. in Journalism and Environmental Science at the University of New Haven, in Connecticut. Previously, her work has been published in Nature World News. When not writing or reading about science, Samantha enjoys traveling to new places and taking photos! You can follow her on Twitter @Sam_Ashley13.