A Walk on the Beach - er, the Moon.
Most recent answer: 10/22/2007
Q:
How long will astronauts' footprints on the Moon's surface remain there?
- Mary
- Mary
A:
Mary -
If you were to walk along a beach on Earth, your footprints would be washed away quickly by the tide. And if you took a walk in the desert, the wind would soon blow them away. But on the moon, there’s no air or water at all. In fact, there’s not even an atmosphere. Without Earth-like atmospheric erosion to rub them out, the astronauts’ footprints should remain on the Moon’s surface forever. Or at least until they get hit by a meteor from space, making a new lunar crater.
-Tamara
If you were to walk along a beach on Earth, your footprints would be washed away quickly by the tide. And if you took a walk in the desert, the wind would soon blow them away. But on the moon, there’s no air or water at all. In fact, there’s not even an atmosphere. Without Earth-like atmospheric erosion to rub them out, the astronauts’ footprints should remain on the Moon’s surface forever. Or at least until they get hit by a meteor from space, making a new lunar crater.
-Tamara
(published on 10/22/2007)