How many golf balls are on the Moon?

[RJN]

This is one of the harder astronomy questions I have been asked. I have heard two different answers, and I don't know if either one is correct.

[bystander]

2

http://www.matthewweathers.com/year2007 ... _moon.html

[Chris Peterson]

2

This is a science forum. As a scientist, I value skepticism. Based on the information you provided, I'd say the correct answer is: the evidence very strongly suggests that there are two golf balls on the Moon, although it remains possible that there is a different number. Shepard might have inadvertently dropped one that he never swung at. A meteoroid may have struck that area of the Moon and either destroyed one of those he hit, or even knocked it off the Moon entirely.

Now I very much doubt that these scenarios occurred, but a scientist should always accept the possibility of alternate explanations- and also understand how much merit to give each.

[geckzilla]

How long will the golf balls last up there? I imagine if they ever get found by future men they could be strange curiosities. Even if we nuke ourselves into oblivion and have to evolve all over again and have a space race to the moon all over again, if they find the golf balls it could be the one inexorable proof that one day in the distant past there were humans with the ability to travel to the moon... but still played the dumbest game ever invented.

[wonderboy]

2

This is a science forum. As a scientist, I value skepticism. Based on the information you provided, I'd say the correct answer is: the evidence very strongly suggests that there are two golf balls on the Moon, although it remains possible that there is a different number. Shepard might have inadvertently dropped one that he never swung at. A meteoroid may have struck that area of the Moon and either destroyed one of those he hit, or even knocked it off the Moon entirely.

Now I very much doubt that these scenarios occurred, but a scientist should always accept the possibility of alternate explanations- and also understand how much merit to give each.

Hahahah this made me laugh like mad. Love answers that are wittty. But as far as I'm aware there are two, unless some sneaky russian landed on the moon when the rest of the world wasn't looking and stole one of the golf balls because it was an iluminous ping golf ball XD.

[emc]

old joke... apologies if you've heard it...

The difference between a golfer and skydiver...
The golfer goes, "Whack, Oh no!"
The skydiver goes, "Oh no!, Whack"

Of course if the skydiver and golfer are on the moon, it would be less dramatic, right?
With no air there would be no sound, right?
And a large inflated rubber landing pad would be preferrable to a parachute, right?

[Chris Peterson]

Of course if the skydiver and golfer are on the moon, it would be less dramatic, right?
With no air there would be no sound, right?

Perhaps it would be more dramatic. With no air, there is no terminal velocity. Skydive on the Moon from a few thousand meters and you'll land hard enough to make a nice crater. No sound through space, of course, but sound travels through the ground. And if you were nearby, the "thunk" you'd feel might be quite dramatic (not as dramatic as the thunk the skydiver would feel, though!)

And a large inflated rubber landing pad would be preferrable to a parachute, right?

Preferable in the sense that it would work a little bit, while a parachute wouldn't work at all. But I don't think it would stop you from killing yourself, unless it was unreasonably large (and it would probably just bounce you back up to where you started, unless it collapsed just right).

[emc]

Hey Chris! Maybe we've stumbled upon a future sport… say after there are recreational trips to the Moon. Maybe it would be called something like Spiking the Moon or Lunar Diving for Dollars (wherein the surviving contestant wins cash!). Trick is you have to jump from a synchronous orbiting platform and devise your own survivor technique. A panel of judges and people with text messaging decides the victor. May sound harsh, but I bet it would be a ‘hit’ in Hollywood. Or perhaps call it Lunar Challenge - I’m sure some creative minds could devise many more antics in which to damage oneself on international TV or else win big prizes! Think of the ratings!

BTW - Someone ought to fetch those golf balls… maybe place them in a space museum or something. I mean, it's not very green to litter things about you know.

[Soorms]

What effects have the golf balls experienced during their time on the Moon? With no atmosphere or magnetosphere blocking harmful cosmic rays could the golf ball be dangerous to humans now or sometime in the future?

With no air to erode them am I correct in saying a golf ball on the Moon would last longer than a golf ball on earth?

[neufer]

What effects have the golf balls experienced during their time on the Moon?
With no air to erode them am I correct in saying a golf ball on the Moon would last longer than a golf ball on earth?

Those golf balls are only improving:

<<USGA and PGA rules allow the [Nitrofreeze Cryogenic Tempering] treatment of golf clubs, but not golf balls. Deep-frozen golf balls travel farther, roll truer and don't mark up as easily, according to Rhodes. Nevertheless, some golfers have their golf balls frozen for recreational use. Rhodes deep-freezes them for someone who sells them on the Internet.>>

<<US Patent application (0020025862) assigned to Spalding Sports:

• "The golf balls of the present invention preferably are crosslinked by irradiation, and more preferably by light rays such as gamma rays or UV radiation. Furthermore, other forms of particle irradiation, including electron beam also can be used. Gamma radiation is preferred as golf balls or game balls can be irradiated in bulk. Gamma penetrates very deep but also increases crosslinking of the inner core, and the compression of the core has to be adjusted to allow for the increase in hardness. Electron beam techniques are faster but cannot be used for treating in bulk as the electron beam does not penetrate very deep. The type of irradiation to be used will depend in part upon the underlying layers. For example, certain types of irradiation may degrade windings in a wound golf ball. On the other hand, balls with a solid core would not be subject to the same concerns." " "Generally a wide range of dosage levels may be used. For example, total dosages of up to about 12.5, or even 15 Mrads may be employed. Preferably, radiation delivery levels are controlled so that the game ball is not heated above about 80 degree C (176 degree F) while being crosslinked."

>>

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With no atmosphere or magnetosphere blocking harmful cosmic rays could the golf ball be dangerous to humans now or sometime in the future?

Think BANANA PEEL:

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

[mexhunter]

Hi:
Science is fun.
Grettings
Cesar

[Guest]

you didn't tell us how many golf balls are on the moon but luckily I know how many. There are 2 golf balls on the moon but by a chance he let one golf ball drop by an accident so there are two answers to this question. 2 and 3. From Carolina Faria XXX

[Nitpicker]

It may depend on the type of golf balls taken to the Moon, as a lot was changing with golf ball technology in the 1960s, but I imagine that with 40 odd years of intense heat, cold and UV radiation, any golf ball left on the Moon would have degraded significantly if it hadn't decomposed entirely. I am almost certain they would no longer conform to the rules of the R&A or USGA.

So, the answer could be zero.