One small step for man, one giant leap for golf

On February 6, 1971, American astronaut, Alan Shepard became the first, and only, person to ever play golf on the surface of the moon.
Shepard declared the second shot travelled for ‘miles and miles and miles’ but could that really have been possible, and, if so, just how far could Holywood’s Rory McIlroy strike a ball on the moon?
Dr Marc Sarzi, Head of Research at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) has been doing the calculations and believes Shepard may have ‘over-estimated’ the distance his ball travelled.
He said: “On the moon projectiles travel further because the pull of gravity is much weaker than on earth and because there is no atmosphere on the moon and therefore no drag.
“Shepard certainly did hit the ball, but hardly as fast as he could have if unencumbered by his spacesuit and certainly not as fast as the likes of Rory McIlroy.”

The NI Golf Channel · Celebrating Alan Shepard’s golf shot on the moon

To celebrate Commander Shepard’s out-of-this-world golf shot, Armagh Observatory and Planetarium has launched an online competition to win some fantastic prizes.
All you have to do is upload videos of you doing a tick-shot to Facebook and tag @armaghplanet using the hashtag #AOPApolloChallenge so everyone can see your attempt.
Don’t forget to nominate your friends and family to do the same! The best shot will win a family pass when Armagh Observatory and Planetarium reopens.
To keep up-to-date with everything that is going on at AOP and to view all terms and conditions for the #AOPApolloChallenge visit www.armagh.space.