The Weirdest Stuff on the Moon

Photographs. Golf balls. Poop. What do these items have in common? These are a few of the many items from Earth (or at least, from Earthlings) currently sitting on the moon.

How did it all get there? Between 1969 and 1972, NASA completed six missions to the moon as part of the Apollo Program. During that time, astronauts left hundreds of objects—big and small—behind. The moon has no wind, no weather, and no people. Because of this, these objects have all been sitting there undisturbed for decades.

Why leave objects behind? Sometimes it’s for symbolic reasons. For example, in 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon, as part of the historic Apollo 11 mission. He left a golden olive branch as a symbol of peace.

Other times, objects are left for sentimental reasons—or just for a bit of fun. For example, in 1972, astronaut Charles Duke left a family photo during the Apollo 16 mission. Alan Shepard snuck a golf club onto the 1971 Apollo 14 mission and managed to play a bit on the surface of the moon; the two balls he hit are still there.

Most often, though, astronauts leave items on the moon because they have no choice. During the Apollo missions, astronauts needed to haul moon rocks back to Earth to be studied—and moon rocks weigh a lot. To accommodate the extra weight and to save fuel, the astronauts left behind as much as possible—tools, video cameras, and other equipment.

One of the more disgusting items humans have left on the moon is human waste. There are 96 bags of astronaut poop up there. It’s pretty gross to think about, but at least on the moon, you wouldn’t find the poop stinky because in the vacuum of space, you wouldn’t be able to smell it; plus, the poop has scientific value: It could offer insights into how conditions in space affect the human body—that is, if the poop is ever retrieved.

NASA is planning to land humans on the moon again in 2024. If you were one of the lucky astronauts on that mission, what would you leave behind?

^{This article was originally published in the April 2021 issue.}