Buzz
Between 1969 and 1972, twelve astronauts journeyed to the Moon on Apollo missions 11 through 17. While they carried essential equipment for their survival, they also brought along some unexpected items.
10. A Falcon Feather
Galileo is known, in part, for suggesting that heavy things and light things fall at the same rate, at least if there’s no air resistance. Unfortunately, he had no way to remove air resistance in his experiments. Instead, he rolled balls down ramps to minimize air resistance and keep the balls to measurable speeds.
The Moon has no air, and hence no air resistance. It’s a great place to demonstrate Galileo’s principle, and Apollo 15 astronaut David Scott did just that. He dropped a hammer and a feather from the same height, and they hit the ground at the same time.
When Scott in the above video says, “The feather happens to be, appropriately, a falcon feather, for our Falcon . . . ” he’s referring to their Lunar Module named Falcon. It got that name because the crew had ties to the US Air Force Academy, whose mascot is a falcon.
9. Bread And Wine For Communion
It wasn’t publicized at the time, but Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin took Communion on the Moon.
Aldrin was an elder at his Presbyterian church at that time. He asked his pastor how he might mark the occasion of the first humans landing on the Moon. The pastor prepared a Communion wafer and a small vial of wine, and Aldrin brought those with him into space. A few minutes after landing on the Moon, he made the following public announcement on the radio:
“This is the LM pilot. I’d like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way.”
Then Aldrin halted radio communication with Earth. He removed the bread from its plastic package, and he poured the wine from another plastic package into a small chalice that his church had given him. He read a verse from the gospel of John (which he’d written on a notecard), ate the bread, and drank the wine.
Aldrin wanted to broadcast the verse on the radio, but NASA asked him to refrain because of an earlier incident. When Apollo 8 astronauts had read from Genesis while orbiting the Moon on Christmas, the agency had faced a lawsuit. NASA didn’t, however, try to keep Aldrin’s Communion a secret; it’s noted in their official history. Aldrin also described it in his book Return to Earth.
8. Lava From Oregon
NASA prepared astronauts for lunar missions by sending them to Earth locations resembling the Moon's surface. Bend, Oregon, with its volcanic landscapes, became a frequent training site. A local journalist even dubbed the area 'Moon Country.'
In 1966, astronaut James Irwin trained in Bend, Oregon. Each astronaut was paired with a local host; Irwin was matched with Floyd Watson, the city's building inspector. Five years later, upon learning of Irwin's selection for the Apollo 15 mission, Watson wrote to request a favor:
“I am sending you a small sliver of Central Oregon lava [from Devil’s Lake, near Bend] that I hope you will be able to deliver to the Moon for me. I have five grandchildren who will be eternally grateful to you.”
After the Apollo 15 crew returned, Watson received a letter from Irwin: 'I did carry your sliver of lava to the Moon and left it there.' The letter included a photo of the lunar surface with a hand-drawn arrow pointing to the sliver, accompanied by a note: 'To Floyd Watson / Oregon Lava on the Moon! My best wishes / Jim Irwin.'
7. Fragments of the Wright Flyer
Hailing from Ohio, the Wright brothers achieved the first powered flight in 1903. Similarly, Neil Armstrong, also an Ohio native, carried pieces of the Wright Flyer to the Moon. According to James Hansen's biography, 'First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong', Armstrong's Personal Preference Kit (PPK) included a segment of wood from the Wright brothers' 1903 airplane's left propeller and a piece of muslin fabric (8 x 13 inches) from its upper left wing.
“He is most clear about, and most proud of, the pieces of the historic Wright Flyer that he took to the Moon. Under a special arrangement with the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, he took in his LM [Lunar Module] PPK a piece of wood from the Wright brothers’ 1903 airplane’s left propeller and a piece of muslin fabric (8 x 13 inches) from its upper left wing.”
Armstrong returned these artifacts to Earth, and they are now on display at the Wright Brothers National Memorial near Kitty Hawk.
6. University Alumni Plaque
The three Apollo 15 astronauts—David Scott, Alfred Worden, and James Irwin—were all alumni of the University of Michigan. In honor of their alma mater, they established an alumni association chapter on the Moon during their mission. As proof of their gesture, they left behind a small plaque with the following inscription:
“The Alumni Association of The University of Michigan. Charter Number One”
This certifies that the University of Michigan Club on the Moon is an officially recognized unit of the Alumni Association and entitled to all rights and privileges granted by the Association’s Constitution.
The University of Michigan remains the only school with an alumni chapter established on the Moon.
There is a widely circulated rumor that a UM flag was planted on the Moon. While the Apollo 15 crew did bring several flags, the only one actually planted on the lunar surface was the U.S. flag. The other flags were safely returned to Earth.
5. Postal Covers
A 'postal cover,' or simply a 'cover,' refers to the exterior of an envelope, postal card, or package, commonly bearing an address and a canceled stamp. These items are prized as collector’s pieces.
The Apollo 11 crew took 214 postal covers to the Moon—crew-signed envelopes adorned with postage stamps. Armstrong carried 47, Collins took 63, and Aldrin brought 104. These are known as the 'Flown Apollo 11 Covers.' Additionally, there were 'insurance covers' kept on Earth in case the astronauts did not return. Over the years, some of Aldrin's and Collins' covers have been put up for sale, but according to Hansen's biography, Armstrong retained all of his.
Other Apollo missions also carried postal covers, but the Apollo 15 crew sparked controversy. They brought 243 authorized covers and an additional 398 unauthorized ones. These unauthorized covers were supplied by a German collector, Hermann Sieger, who received 100 of them upon their return. Despite his agreement to wait until the Apollo program concluded, Sieger quickly sold these items.
When the sale of these unauthorized covers came to light, Congress raised uncomfortable questions, and NASA took disciplinary measures. The incident became a scandal. Today, a flown Apollo 15 cover can command thousands of dollars at auction.
4. Pins
Some Apollo astronauts carried pins to the Moon, the kind you pin on the front of a suit or dress. While some were left on the lunar surface, others made their way back. The most famous of these are likely the ones that were left behind on the Moon.
The Apollo 11 mission patch depicts an eagle bringing an olive branch to the Moon, a classic symbol of peace. The Lunar Module that made the landing, named Eagle, carried two astronauts. One astronaut left behind a gold olive-branch pin on the Moon’s surface.
Astronaut Alan Bean embarked on his first space journey with the Apollo 12 mission. He brought his silver astronaut pin along. After landing on the Moon, Bean recalled, “...I took off my silver pin, gave it a final look, and tossed it with my strongest underarm throw. I’ll always remember how it sparkled in the bright sunlight before vanishing into the distance. That was the only star I ever saw in the dark sky; the sunlight was too intense on the Moon’s surface to spot any others.”
3. The Silicon Disk Of Goodwill Messages
One of the items Armstrong and Aldrin were supposed to leave on the Moon was a silicon disc about the size of a US half-dollar coin (3.81 cm or 1.5 in across). They nearly forgot to leave it behind.
Engraved on the disc, in writing so tiny it requires a microscope to read, are goodwill messages from distinguished figures across 73 countries, including Queen Elizabeth II, Indira Gandhi, and Pope Paul VI. It also lists congressional and NASA leaders.
This disc was largely overlooked for nearly 40 years until Tahir Rahman, a space-history enthusiast, took an interest and began investigating. His research led him to write an entire book, titled We Came in Peace for All Mankind: The Untold Story of the Apollo 11 Silicon Disc.
The disc was designed to endure on the lunar surface for thousands of years. It serves as lasting proof that despite the geopolitical conflicts of 1969, world leaders were, even if briefly, united in the hope that humanity could reach and explore a new world.
2. Two Golf Balls And A Six-Iron
Alan Shepard, the first American to venture into space, was also part of the Apollo 14 crew on the Moon. During the second Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA), he revealed that he had brought two golf balls and a golf club in his utility pocket to the Moon.
In Shepard’s own words, 'Unfortunately, the suit is so stiff, I can’t do this with two hands, but I’m going to try a little sand-trap shot here.' The first swing 'got more dirt than ball.' The second swing moved the ball two or three feet. The third swing made contact, sending the ball on a short arc. Then he dropped the second ball, swung, and that one went, 'miles and miles and miles.'
The golf balls remain on the Moon, but the six-iron was brought back to Earth. It is now typically displayed at the USGA Museum in Far Hills, New Jersey, with a replica also housed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
1. The Duke Family Photo
Astronauts took several photos to the Moon, but the most iconic is undoubtedly the one left by Apollo 16 astronaut Charles Duke on the lunar surface. It features Duke, his wife Dorothy, and their two sons, Charles and Thomas, sitting on a bench. The back of the photo carries the message:
“This is the family of Astronaut Duke from Planet Earth. Landed on the Moon, April 1972.”
Beneath that message were the signatures of his wife and children. The photo was carefully shrink-wrapped in clear plastic, and soon after placing it on the lunar surface, Duke captured an image of it lying there (using one of the Hasselblad cameras carried by the astronauts). Since photographic prints exposed to sunlight deteriorate quickly, even on Earth, it likely didn’t endure for long.
