On February 6, 1971, Apollo 14 astronaut Al Shepard became the first person to hit a golf ball on the moon.
Though he was there doing scientific research, the impromptu one-man game of golf was really just for fun -- and it was on live television. Shepard made a makeshift golf club with a six-iron head that he smuggled from Earth, and he attached it to the handle of a lunar excavation tool. He brought two golf balls to hit. Because his spacesuit wasn't very flexible, he could only swing with one hand. One of the balls went into a nearby crater, and he claimed that the other flew for "miles and miles and miles."
Though he was there doing scientific research, the impromptu one-man game of golf was really just for fun -- and it was on live television. Shepard made a makeshift golf club with a six-iron head that he smuggled from Earth, and he attached it to the handle of a lunar excavation tool. He brought two golf balls to hit. Because his spacesuit wasn't very flexible, he could only swing with one hand. One of the balls went into a nearby crater, and he claimed that the other flew for "miles and miles and miles."
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00:00 On this day in space.
00:04 On February 6th, 1971, Apollo 14 astronaut Al Shepard became the first person to hit a golf ball on the moon.
00:10 Though he was there doing scientific research, the impromptu one-man game of golf was really just for fun, and it was on live television.
00:18 Shepard made a makeshift golf club with a six-iron head that he smuggled from Earth, and he attached it to the handle of a lunar excavation tool.
00:25 He brought two golf balls to hit. Because his spacesuit wasn't very flexible, he could only swing with one hand.
00:31 One of the balls went into a nearby crater, and he claimed that the other flew for miles and miles and miles.
00:37 And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:40 [ music ]