55 Years Ago, an Apollo 15 Astronaut Dropped a Hammer on the Moon
“How about that?” The post 55 Years Ago, an Apollo 15 Astronaut Dropped a Hammer on the Moon appeared first on Nautilus .
On August 2, 1971, astronaut David Scott executed a historic lunar experiment during the Apollo 15 mission. Utilizing a hammer and a feather, Scott demonstrated Galileo's principle that objects of different masses fall at equal speeds in a vacuum, like the moon's atmosphere. This principle was typically obscured on Earth due to air resistance.
Galileo had previously confirmed this theory using inclined planes, making his timed experiments more manageable. Scott's live broadcast of the experiment, witnessed by countless viewers, provided reassurance amidst the critical nature of proving the theory before the mission's return journey. The mission saw three extravehicular activity sessions, with Scott and astronaut James Irwin collecting rock samples and paying tribute to fallen space explorers.
Scott also conducted the first and only stand-up extravehicular activity on the moon, standing up inside the lunar module Falcon to take in the surroundings. The experiment concluded with Scott remarking, "How about that?" upon observing the feather and hammer touching down simultaneously.
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