Lost Golf Ball Found on the Moon

Bright Side

A lost golf ball was actually found on the moon! Back in 1971, astronaut Alan Shepard decided to take a swing while he was up there on Apollo 14. Talk about a cosmic tee-off! He used a makeshift club and sent that ball soaring into space, making history as the first person to play golf on the moon. The ball didn't just disappear into the lunar abyss—it was later spotted by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2009. So, next time you shank one into the rough, just remember, at least you're not retrieving your ball from another planet!  #brightside   Animation is created by Bright Side.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Listen to Bright Side on:  Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/idhttps-podcasts-apple-com-podcast-bright-side/id1554898078 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brightside/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official/ Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Snapchat - https://www.snapchat.com/p/c6a1e38a-bff1-4a40-9731-2c8234ccb19f/1866144599336960  Stock materials (photos, footages and other):  https://www.depositphotos.com  https://www.shutterstock.com  https://www.eastnews.ru  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me

Transcript

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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