NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, 1969. (Photo: NASA/Neil A. Armstrong via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
On July 20, 1969, the world watched Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon and deliver the famous line: “This is one small footstep for man and one giant leap for mankind.” Over 50 years later, this remains a defining moment in the scientific field, inspiring many subsequent Moon missions, like the recent Chandrayaan-3 landing. However, NASA’s Apollo missions weren’t all about work. There are many videos online that show astronauts having fun in the lunar gravity as they learn how to walk, jump, and even play sports.
There are videos from all six of the manned lunar missions—Apollo 11 (1969), Apollo 12 (1969), Apollo 14, Apollo 15 (1971), Apollo 16 (1972), and Apollo 17 (1972). These clips highlight funny outtakes of astronauts tripping over the surface of the Moon and gently falling over. Between the bulky white suits and the strange new environment, it’s not a surprise that they struggle to traverse the surface. However, it is still amusing to see these highly trained and skilled astronauts fumbling around in space.
In some of these videos, astronauts can be heard singing merry tunes. The joy in their voices is clear as they narrate what it’s like to hop all around or play golf—the latter of which proved to be trickier than expected. It seemed like they certainly knew how to keep busy between the different games and activities. Watching the lunar rover slowly drive across the gray terrain, kicking up moondust as it goes by, is equally exciting.
Hopefully, with the first manned lunar mission in decades on the horizon, and the Artemis II crew chosen, there will be more videos of Moon shenanigans to enjoy soon.
On July 20, 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the Moon.
However, NASA’s Apollo missions weren’t all work and no play.
The outtakes of NASA astronauts trying to walk on the moon are amazing. pic.twitter.com/MVviyifDQF
— Sahil Bloom (@SahilBloom) September 7, 2022
There are many videos online that show NASA crews learning how to walk, jump, and even play sports in lunar gravity.
Several of these astronauts are recorded singing as they explore the Moon.
And of course, seeing astronauts drive the lunar rover is always fun.
h/t: [IFL Science]
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