You might say, "neither would hit because there is no gravity on the moon". There is, however, gravity on the moon–it's just weaker than Earth's gravity. The moon's surface gravity is about one-sixth that of Earth's surface gravity.
While the moon has gravity, it does not have any air. As a result, there would be no air resistance to slow the falling feather down. So the answer is that both the feather and the rock would react to gravity alone and hit the ground at the same time.
- In 1971, astronaut David R. Scott performed an experiment much like this on the surface of the moon. He dropped a geological hammer and a feather at the same time. They both hit the lunar surface together.
- With no air or wind to erase them, the footprints astronauts left on the moon will probably remain visible for millions of years.
|
