What Have Humans Left
Behind On the Moon?
Humans have always been curious to explore other planets of the solar system and succeeded in exploring the moon. To mark their presence on the Moon, they planted their country’s flags. But, did you know
Human Waste
There is a total of 96 bags of human waste on the Moon. Scientists are keen to one day bring this back to Earth, to study how its time on the Moon has affected it, but for now it sits in bags upon the Moon’s surface.
A Family Photo
Apollo 16 astronaut Charles Duke left a framed family photo on the Moon’s surface. On the back, it reads:
This is the family of astronaut Charlie Duke from planet Earth who landed on the moon on April 20, 1972.
Flags
The bleached fate of Duke’s photo is a similar fate to that of the many flags left on the Moon.
Each lunar landing was marked by the planting of a flag, a tradition begun in 1969 by Armstrong and Aldrin during Apollo 11.
Although deciding to plant a flag on the Moon’s surface during the Apollo 11 Moon landing was made at the last minute, it is one of the most iconic images from the Moon landing. All future Apollo missions would follow suit and plant their flags.
Because there is no wind on the Moon the flags would never ‘fly’. Therefore, the flags were constructed with extendable metal poles so that when the flags were unfurled they could be seen.
The Apollo 17 flag, planted by Gene Cernan, had already been to the Moon. It was carried to the lunar surface and back on Apollo 11 before being hung on the wall of Mission Control.
To replace the flag in the office, a separate flag was taken to the Moon during Apollo 17 and returned to the wall of Mission Control.
Ashes
Gene Shoemaker was a US geologist, who studied terrestrial craters and discovered many comets and planets. When he died his ashes were transported to the Moon in a capsule on board the Lunar Prospector space probe.
On the capsule, which had been specially designed to be taken to the moon, was a quote from Romeo and Juliet:
“And, when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night,
And pay no worship to the garish sun.”
Shoemaker is the only person to have their ashes flown to the Moon.
Feather & Hammer
In the late 16th century Galileo Galilei is said to have dropped two objects of different masses from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. This experiment was designed to prove that the speed with which they fell was independent of their mass.
In 1971 Apollo 15 astronaut David Scott carried out a similar experiment on the Moon’s surface, crediting Galileo as being instrumental to the achievements of the Moon landings.
Scott dropped a feather and a hammer at the same time, and the world watched as they fell at the same speed, and landed on the lunar surface at the same time.
The feather came from Baggin, the Air Force Academy’s mascot falcon.
Fallen Astronaut
Left behind by Apollo 15 astronauts, Fallen Astronaut is an aluminium sculpture created by Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck.
Scott claimed that the work was intended to represent the fallen astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts, and it was placed face down, next to a plaque listing the names of the 14 people who had lost their lives during service.
However, Van Hoeydonck claimed the sculpture was created to symbolise all of humankind, not just those who had died during the progress of space.
Armstrong and Aldrin left behind an Apollo 1 mission patch to commemorate the astronauts who died in 1967 during a test of the command module.
Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean also left behind a golden olive branch to commemorate astronaut Clifton C Williams. Williams was meant to be the lunar module pilot on Apollo 12, but died in a plane crash while flying a NASA T-38 jet trainer due to a mechanical failure.
Golf Balls
Alan Shepard managed to get into a game of one-man intergalactic golf during his time on the Moon. He smuggled the head of a golf club on board the Apollo 14 mission, attached it to one of the tools, and hit two golf balls across the lunar surface.
Moon Buggies & Other Lunar Equipment
From descent stages to Moon buggies, there is plenty of technical equipment that has been left on the Moon.
Some of this equipment left on the Moon has even been used to commemorate the Moon landing.
On the leg of the Apollo 11 descent stage is affixed a plaque, which reads;
“Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon. July 1969, A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.”
Astronaut David Scott meanwhile left a bible behind on the dashboard of a Moon buggy.
Although a lot of the things left behind on the Moon may seem to be space junk, studying what has happened to them over time after their exposure to radiation and the conditions of the Moon’s surface may one day be able to tell us new things about space.
Thank You,
Credits: Online
