Apollo 15 lunar eclipse, August 1971. The Apollo 15 mission to the Moon took place from 26 July to 7 August 1971. A lunar eclipse occurred on 6 August during the return journey. Command Module pilot Alfred M. Worden used a 35mm Nikon camera to obtain a series of 15 photographs while the Moon was entering and exiting the Earth's shadow (umbra). These four views form a sequence from upper left to lower right. The first is a four-second exposure at the point the Moon entered the Earth's umbra. The second, third and fourth are 15-, 30- and 60-second exposures taken two, three and four minutes after the Moon entered the Earth's umbra.