00:00How about playing golf, not on Earth, but on the Moon?
00:04Let's journey back to a time 50 years ago,
00:07when one astronaut turned the lunar surface into the most unusual golf course ever!
00:15Any golfer will tell you how tricky it is to avoid sand traps,
00:18but picture Alan Shepard,
00:20a NASA astronaut dealing with an entire surface that feels like superfine powder.
00:26During the Apollo 14 mission,
00:28he took a break to showcase some spacey golf skills for everyone watching from Earth.
00:33After his first shot, he excitedly made another.
00:36For him, it seemed the ball went forever and ever!
00:41Let's dial back to reality for a moment.
00:44Thanks to the research by the United States Golf Association, or USGA,
00:48we've got some numbers!
00:50They found that Alan's first moon ball traveled 24 yards,
00:54and his second stretched for 40 yards!
00:57Now, how does that compare to the average golf shots back here?
01:01In regular gravity, one usually swings to about 216 yards.
01:06Just goes to show, while we've upgraded our golf game on Earth with tech and training,
01:11the Moon's low-gravity playground is a different environment altogether!
01:18Now, let's give Alan some props.
01:20Moon golf? Not as simple as you might think.
01:23His club wasn't one from your local sports store.
01:26It was a makeshift one.
01:27A moon sample collector with a club head stuck to it.
01:31Add to that the bulky spacesuit he had on.
01:34Imagine trying to swing wearing an outfit that's as stiff as cardboard!
01:38With all that gear, Alan could only muster a one-handed swing.
01:42Care to have a similar experience?
01:45Well, you might not be able to play golf on the Moon anytime soon,
01:49but you can give it a shot underwater.
01:51Some say the conditions are similar.
01:55Here's where it gets even more interesting.
01:58The USGA didn't just take Alan's word on where the balls landed.
02:02They wanted to investigate!
02:04For starters, they used ultra-clear footage of the Apollo 14 mission.
02:09They also used some sharp images from NASA's special Moon camera, launched in 2009.
02:15Using this imagery, they mapped out the journey of those two golf balls.
02:22Alan loved his unique golf club so much, he wanted to bring it back home.
02:27No big deal, right?
02:29Well, you see, in those days, astronauts would leave behind unnecessary items to make space for moon rocks.
02:35But not this club!
02:37So during the 70s, this interstellar golf club found a new home at the USGA Museum in New Jersey.
02:44Unlike regular golf clubs, this one had a twist.
02:47It was crafted from aluminum and Teflon.
02:50It was built to fold and fit snugly within the tight spaces of the lunar lander.
02:55How did this whole moon golf idea even pop up?
02:59Well, in 1970, golf legend Bob Hope paid a visit to NASA.
03:04Inspired by Hope's love for golf, an idea came into Shepard's head.
03:08Moon golf!
03:09To turn his dream into reality, he collaborated with a golf professional and NASA's tech specialists.
03:16Together, they crafted a club that met NASA's strict safety norms.
03:24But hey, Alan didn't want this to be just a surprise stunt.
03:27Remember, traveling to the moon required very strict protocols.
03:31They couldn't just randomly have a picnic up there, you know.
03:34So, Alan made sure NASA officials agreed with this impromptu game of golf.
03:39They were initially skeptical, but eventually gave the green light after Alan passionately laid out his plan.
03:45He also promised he'd start playing if everything went smoothly on the mission.
03:51Determined to make it perfect, Alan prepped like a champ.
03:54The story goes that he'd put on his hefty spacesuit and sneak off to secret spots so he could practice.
04:00Decades later, he'd still be reflecting on his lunar escapade.
04:04He was the only golfer to ever swing on the moon.
04:08It's not just golf balls that astronauts left behind on their trips.
04:11There were actually a lot of objects left on the moon between 1969 and 1972, the year of the last moon landing.
04:23Each time you gaze up at the moon, remember that there's a cute family photo up there,
04:27some huge science gadgets, a small statue, a bunch of, well, human waste bags, and yes, some American flags.
04:36Years have passed by, and yes, technically those items are still hanging out there,
04:41though they've probably seen better days because of the harsh conditions on the moon.
04:46Some items had a special place in the astronauts' hearts and were meant to stay on the moon.
04:51But hey, leaving some stuff behind also meant they could bring back moon samples.
04:56You know the feeling. It's like when you need to make room in your suitcase for souvenirs when you're finishing a vacation.
05:02Does NASA have a complete list of things they left on the moon? Well, not really.
05:07In fact, one team tried to create a record of some of the items and reached an amazing list of 106 left there from the Apollo 11 mission alone.
05:17That's not counting Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's famous footprints.
05:22The largest items at each landing site were mostly the science-y stuff, like pieces of their lunar module and experiments to study the moon in depth.
05:31Then there were some beautiful tokens, like Apollo 11's plaque and a special disc with messages from leaders around the world.
05:38Some say the astronauts also took medals to remember some heroic cosmonauts,
05:43and they even left a gold olive branch, an age-old symbol of peace.
05:48Now, later moon missions had a little more fun, like Alan Shepard did with his golf game.
05:53But the award for the most heartwarming moment goes to Charlie Duke.
05:57During the Apollo 16 mission, he left a picture of his family up there.
06:01It's like he wanted them to be a part of the adventure.
06:04Although, a heads up, those photos probably didn't age well because of the moon's high exposure to the sun's radiation.
06:11There might just be an art museum up there on our planet.
06:15There might just be an art museum up there on our satellite, too.
06:19Let me explain.
06:20There is this tiny little art piece called the Moon Museum.
06:24It's a ceramic chip about the size of your nail, and it was crafted by an artist named Forrest Myers.
06:33This tiny object showcases miniature artworks from six talented people.
06:38Among them are even the famous Andy Warhol.
06:41The same artist known for his iconic soup cans and celebrity portraits.
06:45Forrest Myers said he wanted his mini museum to be on the moon, but there was a problem.
06:50NASA officials weren't exactly on board with the idea.
06:54However, Myers shared with the press that he handed over this art chip to an engineer working on the Apollo 12 mission.
07:02According to Myers, this engineer secretly tucked the Moon Museum onto a leg of the lunar lander.
07:08In case you haven't figured it out yet, these lunar landers don't come back to Earth after their mission.
07:14Take this with a grain of salt, though, as NASA has never confirmed this story.
07:18You might wonder, why did they leave all these things?
07:22Sometimes it was about making a statement, other times it was purely practical.
07:27At one point, it was mentioned that during the Apollo 11 mission, for example, a decision needed to be made.
07:34The astronauts had to quickly figure out what was essential for their trip back home.
07:39They ended up creating a clean-up spot, tossing away things they didn't need anymore.
07:48Leaving things behind on the Moon isn't that different from how we leave things behind on Earth.
07:52Just like archaeologists study our ancient leftovers to learn about our ancestors.
07:57The stuff on the Moon gives us insights about those incredible lunar missions.
08:02Some things they left had done their job, like the pole for the flag or the camera they used to broadcast those steps on the Moon.
08:09Even the tools astronauts used to collect samples were left because they had more precious cargo to bring back.
08:15Moon rocks.
08:17When it comes to the current state of all these items, scientists are not entirely sure.
08:22We do know that NASA's Moon Observer has spotted some of their shadows.
08:26They're still up there.
08:28Official gear was built to resist, so it might behave a bit better.
08:32But those personal items?
08:34They've probably seen better days.
08:36That's it for today.
08:38So, hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
08:43Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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