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· Commander Alan Shepard was inspired to tee off from the surface of the moon by comedian and golf enthusiast Bob Hope Who hit a golf ball on the moon? NASA astronaut Alan Shepard teed off from the pie in the sky on February 6, 1971. The rigidity of his suit prevented him from putting everything he had into the iconic shots as the balls traveled less than 50 yards, …
Who has hit a golf ball on the moon?
The Moon Club, a specially crafted 6-iron clubhead, weighing 16.5 ounces, that was carried by Alan Shepard onboard the Apollo 14 mission to the moon, as seen at the USGA Golf Museum.
Who hit the first golf shot on the moon?
Alan ShepardAlan 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. In the annals of golf history, Alan Shepard's shots from the lunar sand may be the most famous swings ever taken.
What happened to the golf ball that Alan Shepard hit on the moon?
Shepard brought two balls with him. The first ball he only skimmed, and it was easily recovered by colleague Edgar Mitchell in a nearby crater. By the second ball, Shepard had gotten the hang of it and sent it flying. That ball then remained missing for half a century.
How many golf balls did Shepard hit on the moon?
two golf ballsLunar Golfing 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.
What happened to Alan Shepard Astronaut?
Shepard was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 1996 and died from complications of the disease in Pebble Beach, California, on July 21, 1998. Among astronauts who had walked on the Moon, he was the second to die (Jim Irwin had been the first, in 1991).
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!
How far did Alan Shepard golf ball go?
Based on data from the crew and a modern-day moon mission, the group found that the first ball traveled 24 yards (22 meters) and the second about 40 yards (37 m).
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. Shepard was the first American into space, and the fifth person to ever walk on the moon… but most impressively, he was the first (and only) person to ever play golf outside of the earth's atmosphere!
Did Alan Shepard go to the moon twice?
Two trips, a decade apart, spanned the most exciting era in space history. Shepard shields his eyes from the bright sun at Apollo 14's Fra Mauro landing site, February 1971. Of the original seven astronauts chosen by NASA in 1959, only one, Alan Shepard, made it to the moon. And he almost didn't.
Who threw a javelin on the moon?
Edgar MitchellIt happened on the moon. Forty years ago this Sunday, Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell took an entirely different kind of "giant leap for mankind," playing sports on the lunar surface. Shepard famously hit golf balls with a modified six-iron, and Mitchell threw a javelin.
Has anyone hit a golf ball in space?
Fifty years ago this week, NASA astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. made space history when he took a few golf swings on the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission, successfully hitting two golf balls across the lunar surface.
Did Neil Armstrong play golf 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.
Who hit a golf ball on the moon?
NASA astronaut Alan Shepard teed off from the pie in the sky on February 6, 1971.
When is the next scheduled manned trip to the moon?
NASA’s Artemis II mission is the next planned trip that will put humans near the moon–but not on it.
Who hit a golf ball on the moon?
NASA astronaut Alan Shepard teed off from the pie in the sky on February 6, 1971.
When is the next scheduled manned trip to the moon?
NASA’s Artemis II mission is the next planned trip that will put humans near the moon–but not on it.
Who was the only person to hit a golf ball on the moon?
Decades after the historic golf excursion, Shepard still had pride in the accomplishment. "So far I'm the only person to have hit a golf ball on the moon. Probably will be for some time," he told NASA in the February 1998 oral history, a few months before his death at age 74.
Who was the famous golfer who was convinced to play with the moon club?
Shepard was convinced to part with his precious moon club after the famed singer and entertainer Bing Crosby, a member of the USGA committee in 1972, wrote Shepard saying the museum would be "an ideal repository for the celebrated implement," Nenno said. Shepard and Crosby were already acquainted from playing together at Pebble Beach, California, a well-known golf haven for enthusiasts.
Who was the golf club director at NASA?
Shepard also made sure to clear his golf shot with senior management, approaching then-MSC director Bob Gilruth to get buy-in. At first, Shepard recalled in a 1998 NASA oral history, Gilruth said "there was absolutely no way." Shepard, however, explained the golf club's construction to Gilruth and then made the director a promise.
When did Bob Hope get the idea for the moonshot?
Click here for more Space.com videos... Sorry, the video player failed to load. (Error Code: 100013) Shepard got the idea for his golf moonshot in 1970, when famed golfer Bob Hope visited NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC, now Johnson Space Center) in Houston, the training hub for astronauts, for a television special.
Where did the golf club that was tucked away go?
The rules surrounding giving space artifacts to astronauts were different in the 1970s, so Shepard kept the club before donating it to the USGA Museum in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, roughly an hour west of New York City, in 1974.
How far can a male golfer drive?
By comparison, a 2019 report using golf tournaments' gender categories shows that an average amateur male golfer on Earth can drive the ball 216 yards (198 m), and an average female golfer 148 yards (135 m), although those distances have increased significantly since Shepard's flight.
How far can a golfer drive the ball?
By comparison, a 2019 report using golf tournaments' gender categories shows that an average amateur male golfer on Earth can drive the ball 216 yards (198 m), and an average female golfer 148 yards (135 m), although those distances have increased significantly since Shepard's flight.
Who played golf on the moon 50 years ago?
But one “out of this world” moment trumps them all – that time 50 years ago when astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. played golf on the moon.
Who was the pilot of Apollo 13?
CAPCOM (Capsule Communicator) Fred Haise, who was the lunar module pilot for Apollo 13, applied some astute commentary from his position in Mission Control: “Looked like a slice to me, Al.”. The location of the first “shanked” ball can be seen in the crater to the right.
Why did the ball stay airborne longer?
It also stayed airborne longer due to lower gravitational forces pulling it back to the ground.
Is Golf Journal a quarterly publication?
To be among the first to receive access to Golf Journal, the USGA’s Members-only quarterly print and monthly digital publication – along with the many other benefits of becoming a USGA Member – visit the USGA Membership page.
Why did the Shepard ball stay airborne longer than it would have been on Earth?
The absence of aerodynamic forces on the ball, and lack of the spin-induced “magnus effect” caused by the ball’s dimples, meant that it followed a perfectly parabolic flight. It also stayed airborne longer due to lower gravitational forces pulling it back to the ground.
Who tossed the first ball of the solar wind experiment?
Sitting near Shepard’s first ball is a pole from a solar wind experiment, tossed by crewmate Edgar Mitchell. (NASA/JSC/ASU/Andy Saunders)
Is the moon a bunker?
Despite the lack of distance, it is still a rather astonishing feat. The moon is effectively one giant, un-raked, rock-strewn bunker. There were no “preferred lies” as a fully-suited astronaut would struggle to tee the ball up on the surface. The pressurized suits severely restricted movement, and due to their helmet’s visors, they struggled to even see their feet. Remember also that there was little gravity to pull the clubhead down toward the ball.
Who was the first person to play golf on the moon?
Many people know that Apollo 14 astronaut Alan Shepherd hit a golf ball on the moon. In so doing, he became the first person to ever play golf on another world. Having hit the golf ball in the moon's low gravity environment, the ball likely remained above the surface for more than a minute. During that time, the ball might have traveled more ...
Why does a golf ball travel farther on the moon?
On the moon, a golf ball will travel much farther because the comparatively weak surface gravity will accelerate it back to the surface more slowly.
How fast does the Moon escape gravity?
The moon's gravity is weaker than Earth's, but still quite strong. The moon's escape velocity is about 5,310 miles per hour! In order to escape its gravity field, an object would have to at least move at this velocity. Not even the strongest human could launch a golf ball at such a speed.
Does air resistance affect the velocity of a ball?
During that time, the ball travels with a constant horizontal velocity, at least in theory. On Earth, however, air resistance impedes the ball's travel. As this resistance is proportional to the velocity squared, the faster a ball moves, the greater the impeding resistance becomes.
How strong is the Moon's gravity?
First, the moon's gravity is only one sixth as strong as Earth's. So if you strike a golf ball up at an angle, it will describe a parabolic arc ascending to a high point, at which its vertical velocity is momentarily zero, and then descending back down to the surface.
How far would a golf ball have landed from the impact point?
They estimate it might have landed between two and two and a half miles from the impact point.
Can you hit a golf ball on the moon?
There is no air resistance on the moon to slow the ball's travel. The faster one hits a golf ball, the farther it moves as no fluid resists it. As for making a ball leaving the moon altogether, well, a human truly couldn't. The moon's gravity is weaker than Earth's, but still quite strong.
Who put golf on the front page of the American newspapers?
Francis Ouimet put golf on the front page of American newspapers by winning the 1913 U.S. Open. Gene Sarazen put the Masters on the map by holing a 235-yard shot for an albatross in the final round of his 1935 victory.
How far did the Shepard shoot?
Not quite. The shot for years has been estimated at 200 yards, remarkable considering how much the bulk of his spacesuit restricted Shepard’s movement. He had even practiced in his spacesuit in a bunker in Houston when no one was around.
Where did Bob Hope carry a golf club?
The inspiration came from Bob Hope, who carried a golf club just about everywhere he went. That included a trip to Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston a year before the Apollo 14 mission.
How far can Jimmy Walker hit a 6 iron?
Former PGA champion Jimmy Walker hits a 6-iron about 200 yards on Earth. Walker, a space enthusiast with a skill and passion for astrophotography, worked with the USGA and Saunders as the Apollo 14 anniversary neared to see how far he could hit a 6-iron in one-sixth gravity of the moon.
Who was the first American to go to space?
Shepard became the first American in space in 1961 as one of NASA’s seven original Mercury astronauts. After being sidelined for years by an inner ear problem he became the fifth astronaut to walk on the moon as Apollo 14 commander.
Did the shots come down on the moon?
The shots did come down on the moon. Still up for debate is how far they went.