Although the most recent landing on the moon occurred over 40 years ago, the moon continues to be the long-awaited destination for aspiring astronauts and travelers alike. In fact, if you were to visit the moon at this moment, you would find a bunch of rocks, dust, spacecraft remains, craters and so forth. However, there are more than a few surprises in store upon arrival. Below are several of the strangest things (not in any particular order):
- Aluminium Sculpture: The crew of Apollo 15 placed an aluminium figure of approximately three point three inches on the surface of the moon. The sculpture was developed by Paul Van Hoeydonck, a Belgian designer, and it serves as a symbol for humanity and the fallen astronauts who were avid space explorers.
- Two Golf Balls: The oldest person to walk on the moon, Alan Shepard, was also the only space traveler who played a round of golf. Shepard managed to bring the golf club on the way back home, but did not have sufficient time to recoup the balls.
- A Fading Photograph: It is common to take photos of the moon, but rare to take photos to the moon. Charles Duke, who was a part of Apollo 16, placed a picture of himself and his family sitting on a bench on the moon’s surface. However, because photographic prints fade rapidly under extreme conditions—harsh sunlight, solar radiation and temperature—it is almost impossible to see any part of the once colorful picture.
- Piece of Solidified Lava: James Irwin of Apollo 15 carried a small rock sample from Devil’s Lake, where NASA took him to practice collecting rock samples, and left it on the moon for no particular reason.
- Astronaut Poop Containers: Many astronauts left some of themselves on the surface of the moon, along with a couple of other artifacts. The result of astronaut potty-training were several bags with “finger cots” which permitted the space travelers to manually move the bags. They then had to pummel a germicide into their waste, in order to prevent gas-expelling bacteria from flourishing and thereby causing the bag to explode. Interestingly, the entire ordeal took approximately 45 minutes to an hour.
- Message from the Queen: Neil Armstrong carried a bit of the British monarchy with him that he left behind on the surface of the moon. It was a silicon disk, only about one point five inches in diameter. The disk contains encouraging messages from leaders across Britain and other countries, including Queen Elizabeth II, Pope Paul VI, Lyndon Johnson, Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. This act illustrated that despite the turmoil and chaos the world may face, renowned leaders and their countries are united through space exploration.
Although the moon is not composed of cheese, it unexpectedly carries some of the strangest items. Maybe one day, there'll be more bizarre things discovered to add to the list!
