Iconic Lunar Rover Image of Apollo Module

The latest entry to NASA's Image of the Day series, posted on November 8, shows an image that was collected from the Lunar Roving Vehicle, during the Apollo 16 flight to the Moon. The mission's Lunar Module, called Orion, can be seen in the background.

The photo also shows the tracks that the rover vehicle left behind as it was moving away from the spacecraft. The snapshot was taken by Lunar Module pilot and NASA astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr., who is the youngest of the twelve astronauts to have ever set foot on the Moon.

On the rover, Duke was accompanied by Apollo 16 Commander John W. Young. The two astronauts were returning from the third extravehicular activity (EVA) of the mission. The other crew member was Command Module pilot Ken Mattingly, who remained in orbit around the Moon.

The foreground image shows the LRV's RCA color television camera, as well as a part of the high-gain antenna allowing astronauts to remain in contact with Mission Control, in Houston.