Here’s the inside story. Most golfers really want to avoid sand traps, but NASA astronaut Alan Shepard had no choice but to deal with one when wielding a six-iron head on the moon’s dusty surface 50 years ago this month.
Is the golf ball still on the moon?
There are two golf balls on the moon. They were taken there by Alan Shepard in 1971, during the Apollo 14 mission.
Why are there 3 golf balls on the moon?
Alan Shepard, part of the Apollo 14 mission, stands as the only person to hit golf balls on the moon. During the mission, Shepard took a few swings and ended up leaving two golf balls to live on the moon forever. Apparently, he fitted an 6 iron head to the handle of a lunar sample collection device.
Who played golf in space?
Alan Shepard became the first American to fly in space when he blasted off in May 1961 — then went on to walk on the moon as commander of the Apollo 14 mission in 1971, famously hitting a golf ball during a moonwalk.
Did Buzz Aldrin play golf on the moon?
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin attempted to play golf on the Moon. False. It was, in fact, Alan Shepard who took a golf ball to the moon on Apollo 14 – he hit it with a sample collector and it went out of sight!
Has anyone golfed on the moon?
It wasn’t Neil Armstrong, it was Alan Shepard of Apollo 14 who played golf on the moon. The “club” he used was a contingency sample extension handle with a no 6 iron head attached. Each astronaut was allocated a certain amount of weight for personal items. Shepard used his to take the club head and three golf balls.
What did Alan Shepard do on the moon?
At age 47, he became the fifth, the oldest, and the only one of the Mercury Seven astronauts to walk on the Moon. During the mission, he hit two golf balls on the lunar surface.
Who was the last person to walk on the moon?
He is 84. Apollo 17 mission commander Eugene Cernan holds the lower corner of the U.S. flag during the mission’s first moonwalk on Dec. 12, 1972. Cernan, the last man on the moon, traced his only child’s initials in the dust before climbing the ladder of the lunar module the last time.
What brand of golf ball did Alan Shepard hit on the moon?
6, 1971 – a Wilson Staff Dyna-Power 6 -iron head attached to a collapsible tool designed to scoop lunar rock samples – resides in the USGA Golf Museum, one question has persisted about those intergalactic swings in the past half century: how far did Shepard’s moon shots actually travel?
How far could you hit a golf ball on the moon?
On the moon, with a gravity acceleration six times smaller, the ball would travel six times further and land some 2km away, which is roughly 1.25 miles. “This is how far a professional golf player with modern equipment could hit a drive on the moon.
What is the only sport to have been played on the moon?
What was the first sport played on the moon? That would be golf. In 1971, Apollo 14 astronaut Alan Shepard swung a makeshift 6-iron on the moon’s surface — and missed the ball. His second swing, however, connected, and the golf ball went flying “miles and miles and miles,” as Shepard put it after his swing.
How many people have walked on the moon?
The first crewed lunar landing in 1969 was a historic triumph for the USA and humankind. Including the Apollo 11 mission, 12 men have walked on the Moon.
Why do astronauts lose fingernails in space?
In several cases, sustained pressure on the fingertips during EVAs caused intense pain and led to the astronauts’ nails detaching from their nailbeds, a condition called fingernail delamination. If the nail falls off completely, it will eventually grow back, although it might be deformed.
What did Neil Armstrong play on the moon?
“Buzz” Aldrin, he was part of NASA’s first manned mission to the moon. The trio were launched into space on July 16, 1969. Serving as the mission’s commander, Armstrong piloted the Lunar Module to the moon’s surface on July 20, 1969, with Buzz Aldrin aboard.
What happened to the golf ball that Alan Shepard hit on the moon?
Alan Shepard smacked golf balls on the Moon — and now we know where they landed. When the Apollo astronaut said his second shot went “miles and miles and miles,” that was a bit of an exaggeration. After a few one-armed swings that mainly moved regolith, he shanked his first ball into a crater.