Gravity Index

Dropping Weights in Airless Conditions

Apollo 15

Apollo 15 was launched 26 July 1971 and landed on Moon, near a deep lunar valley, Hadley Rille, on 30 July 1971.

While there, the Astronauts drove to distant sites in a lunar roving vehicle.


Lunar Buggy More Information.

The Apollo 15 Astronauts returned to Earth safely on 7 August 1971.

Apollo 15 Lander, Falcon, on the Moon. More Information.

The Hammer and Feather Drop Experiment

During the mission, Astronaut David Scott performed an experiment to test Galileo's hypothesis that all objects fall with the same velocity in the absence of air resistance.


Source: Johnson Space Centre


Apollo 15 Mission Photograph- Hammer and feather on the Moon's Surface.
Source: Apollo Lunar Surface Journal

Setting up an Airless Drop on Earth

  • Pump all the air from a strong, see-through tube.
  • Let a feather and a stone drop together inside the tube.
  • Because there is no air, the feather will drop alongside the stone.

Find full details at: Exploratorium Snacks - Falling Feather