Fact sheet
15076 is a coarse-grained porphyritic pigeonite basalt with subophitic matrix. 15075 is a sister sample. Pyroxene and plagioclase compose 90% of the rock. Pyroxene is dominant, occurring both as large phenocrysts and subophitically intergrown with plagioclase laths in between. It zones outward to pyroxferroite. Accessories include chromite, ulvospinel, pyroxferroite, cristobalite, tridymite (large lath in rotation 1, parallel group of needle-shaped crystals in rotation 2), spinel, metallic iron, troilite and fayalite. The pyroxenes are highly zoned and up to 6 mm long.
The sample weighed 400.5 grams before analysis and has been dated at 3.35±0.04 billion years (Ar/Ar).
Further details of this and other Apollo samples are here: http://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/
The Apollo 15 landing site was in the Apennine Highlands, and close to Hadley Rille — a long, narrow winding valley. Approximately 76 kg of lunar material, including soil, rock, core-tube and deep-core samples, were returned to Earth.
This mission was the first flight of the Lunar Roving Vehicle which allowed the astronauts to venture further from the Lunar Module than in previous missions. During three periods of extravehicular activity, or EVA, on July 31st, and August 1st and 2nd, Scott and Irwin completed a record 18 hours, 37 minutes of exploration, travelling 17.5 miles, in the first car that humans had ever driven on the Moon.
Apollo 15 was launched on 26 July 1971.