List of artificial objects on the Moon
This is a partial list of artificial materials left on the Moon, many during the missions of the Apollo program. The table below does not include lesser Apollo mission artificial objects, such as a hammer and other tools, retroreflectors, Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Packages, or the commemorative, artistic, and personal objects left by the twelve Apollo astronauts, such as the United States flags, the commemorative plaques attached to the ladders of the six Apollo Lunar Modules, the silver astronaut pin left by Alan Bean in honor of Clifton C. Williams whom he replaced, the Bible left by David Scott, the Fallen Astronaut statuette and memorial plaque placed by the crew of Apollo 15, the Apollo 11 goodwill messages disc, or the golf balls[1] Alan Shepard hit during an Apollo 14 moonwalk.
Five S-IVB third stages of Saturn V rockets from the Apollo program crashed into the Moon, and are the heaviest human-made objects on the lunar surface. Humans have left over 187,400 kilograms (413,100 lb) of material on the Moon. Besides the 2019 Chinese rover Yutu-2, the only artificial objects on the Moon that are still in use are the retroreflectors for the Lunar Laser Ranging experiments left there by the Apollo 11, 14, and 15 astronauts, and by the Soviet Union's Lunokhod 1 and Lunokhod 2 missions.[2]
Objects at greater than 90 degrees east or west are on the far side of the Moon, including Ranger 4, Lunar Orbiter 1, Lunar Orbiter 2, Lunar Orbiter 3, and the lunar rover Yutu-2.
Because of increasing numbers of missions to and objects at the Moon a global registry of lunar activities has been proposed in 2023 by the Open Lunar Foundation.[3]
List
Legend
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Table of objects
Image gallery
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See also
Notes
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Spacecraft was in lunar orbit but is assumed to have decayed from orbit and crashed into the Moon, location unknown.
- ^ Portions recovered by Apollo 12 in 1969: it returned about 10 kilograms (22 lb) of the Surveyor 3's original landing mass of 302 kilograms (666 lb) to Earth to study the effects of long term exposure.
- ^ a b c d e f The ascent stage of Apollo 10 was commanded to fire its engine, left lunar orbit and entered solar orbit. The ascent stage of Apollo 11 was left in orbit and thereafter its orbit possibly decayed and it crashed onto the Moon at an unknown location. The Apollo 16 ascent stage failed to crash onto moon when commanded and it decayed from orbit at a later date and also crashed at an unknown location. The ascent stages of the remaining successful missions (Apollo 12, 14, 15, and 17) were each deliberately crashed onto the Moon. Apollo 13's complete Apollo Lunar Module re-entered Earth's atmosphere after having served as a lifeboat during the aborted mission.
- ^ a b c Luna program sample return mission; mass listed is for both ascent and descent stages, though only the descent stage was left on the Moon.
- ^ Lander and rover weighed 4,000 pounds (1,814 kg); the rest assumed to have decayed in orbit and impacted the Moon.
- ^ Was injected into lunar orbit in 1990, assumed to have decayed from orbit.
- ^ –2.36 miles (–3.80 km) in elevation (Cabeus crater).
- ^ –2.38 miles (–3.83 km) in elevation (Cabeus crater).
References
- ^ Miller, Scott (2023-06-02). "How Many Golf Balls Are On The Moon?". golfercraze.com. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ Slava G. Turyshev – From Quantum to Cosmos: Fundamental Physics Research in Space (2009) – Page 300
- ^ "Launch Event Video: Bright Moon - Creating a Global Registry of Lunar Activities April 23". Open Lunar Foundation. 2023-05-08. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog – Luna 2". Retrieved 2010-12-24.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog – Luna 2". Retrieved 2015-07-16.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog – Ranger 4". Retrieved 2010-12-23.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog – Ranger 6". Retrieved 2010-12-24.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog – Ranger 7". Retrieved 2010-12-24.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog – Luna 5". Retrieved 2010-12-24.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog – Luna 7". Retrieved 2010-12-24.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog – Luna 8". Retrieved 2010-12-24.
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- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Luna 15". Retrieved 2010-12-25.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Apollo 11 LM ascent stage". Retrieved 2010-12-25.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Apollo 12 LM descent stage". Retrieved 2010-12-25.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Apollo 12 LM ascent stage". Retrieved 2010-12-25.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Luna 16 descent stage". Retrieved 2010-12-25.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Luna 17/Lunokhod 1". Retrieved 2010-12-25.
- ^ Astronautix.com, Apollo 13 Archived 2004-01-04 at the Wayback Machine: The S-IVB/IU impacted the lunar surface at 8:10 p.m. EST on April 14 at a speed of 259 meters per second (incorrect, should probably be 2590 meters/sec), […] 137.1 kilometers from the Apollo 12 seismometer.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Apollo 13 S-IVB". Retrieved 2010-12-25.
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- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Apollo 14 LM descent stage". Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Apollo 14 LM ascent stage". Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Apollo 15 SIVB". Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Apollo 15 LM descent stage". Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Apollo 15 LM ascent stage". Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Apollo 15 subsatellite". Retrieved 2011-01-01.
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- ^ "Found! Apollo 16 S-IVB Impact Crater | Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera". lroc.sese.asu.edu. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Apollo 16 descent stage". Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Apollo 16 ascent stage". Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Apollo 16 Subsatellite". Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Apollo 17 S-IVB". Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Apollo 17 descent stage". Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Apollo 17 ascent stage". Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Luna 21/Lunokhod 2". Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Explorer 49/RAE-B". Retrieved 2011-01-01.
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- ^ "NASA NSSDC Master Catalog - Luna 24". Retrieved 2011-01-01.
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