What was left on the moon

The small sculpture of a human was commissioned by David Scott, mission commander of Apollo Scott claimed that the work was intended to represent the fallen astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts, and it was placed face down, next to a plaque listing their names of the 14 people who had lost their lives during service.

However, Van Hoeydonck claimed the sculpture was created with the intention of symbolising all of humankind, not just those who had died during the progress of space exploration.

As well as Fallen Astronaut , other astronauts have left behind memorials to their colleagues. Armstrong and Aldrin left behind an Apollo 1 mission patch to commemorate the astronauts who died in during a test of the command module. Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean also left behind a golden olive branch to commemorate astronaut Clifton C Williams. Williams was meant to be the lunar module pilot on Apollo 12, but died in a plane crash while flying a NASA T jet trainer due to a mechanical failure.

Some of this equipment left on the Moon has even been used to commemorate the Moon landing. July , A. We came in peace for all mankind.

Astronaut David Scott meanwhile left a bible behind on the dashboard of a Moon buggy. These are among the most interesting:. While not technically objects, the footprints left by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin represent the most poignant evidence of the first human activity on the moon.

Because there is no weather on the lunar surface, the footprints remain there today. NASA has drafted guidelines to protect the Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 landing sites, including setting the areas as "off limits" for subsequent landings. The efforts aim to prevent future missions from disturbing lunar dust and destroying the footprints and abandoned equipment from these historic missions. More: Apollo See the events honoring the anniversary of the moon landing.

When the Eagle landed on the moon and then lifted off to carry Armstrong and Aldrin back to the command module, part of the landing module stayed behind. The descent stage remained on the moon's surface to act as a launch pad when the module lifted off.

A commemorative plaque was affixed to one of the landing module's legs, which read, "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot on the Moon July , A. We came in peace for all mankind. Reaching for the Moon was not without its risks. Apollo 15 astronauts left a plaque naming 14 US astronauts and Russian cosmonauts who had died during manned space programmes.

Astronaut Charles Moss Duke left a photograph of himself, his wife and two sons on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 16 mission. There is also a large amount of photographic equipment, including 12 Hasselblad cameras. Moonquakes sensed by Apollo seismometers hint that the moon may still be tectonically active.

Understanding moonquakes could help NASA and other agencies decide where to land future spacecraft, Weber says. Or where to construct buildings on the moon. If these young faults mark sites of ground-shaking activity, future lunar visitors may want to avoid them, she says.

All of that stuff has been exposed to the lunar elements for decades. Future missions could sample the debris to get a sense of how human communities might one day fare on the moon.

Everything at these sites is priceless to research, says planetary scientist Philip Metzger. He works at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. He imagines probing the effects of radiation and solar wind on things like batteries, camera lenses, towels and earplugs. Studies show microbes can last in space over very short timescales, Metzger says. Scientists could test whether microbes in astronaut waste have survived or mutated over the past 50 years.

That could help determine whether life could hop between planets or even solar systems. By Maria Temming October 3, at am. Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, commander, took this photograph using a lunar surface camera.

This image of the Apollo 17 landing site shows tracks made by astronauts horizontal lines. Astronaut activity kicked up darker soil, which absorbed more sunlight than the surrounding terrain. Explainer: How heat moves. Explainer: What is a computer model?

This Feb. It can be used to precisely measure the distance between Earth and its natural satellite. Scientists Say: Quantum. Classroom questions.