Can You Really Leave A Footprint On The Moon? | MythBusters

Added: 2026-05-13

[00:00:03]In a vacuum, stay puffed. Spacemen don't stay puffed for long.

[00:00:08]>> That's what happens to you in space if you don't have a space suit.

[00:00:11]>> Oh, it's like a raisin.

[00:00:14]>> Well, as much as I love busting out the vacuum chamber, what does the marshmallow astronaut have to do with the moon?

[00:00:19]>> Okay. Well, as we know, the surface of the moon is a vacuum. And some of the conspiracy theories contend that the moon landing footage is fake because some of the things that they did are impossible to do in a vacuum. That's right. There's the one theory about the flag. A lot of people think it looks like it's flapping in the wind. Now, that would be impossible in a vacuum because no air, no wind.

[00:00:38]>> Someone actually told me a good one about the footprints. The idea is that the astronauts couldn't leave such distinct footprints on the moon because there's no moisture in a vacuum and the moisture is what hold the footprint together. So, how are we going to test this one? I think we're going to need a bigger vacuum >> and like way more marshmallows.

[00:00:56]>> These vacuum theories are some of the more convincing in the conspiracy cannon. After all, it appears logical that the breeze that fluttered the flag just couldn't be there on the moon. And anyone who's taken a walk on a beach knows only wet sand leaves a definite footprint. So, with no moisture on the moon, then these images must be faked.

[00:01:18]Okay. So, we're going to have to replicate the conditions of the moon as close as possible here on Earth.

[00:01:22]>> Well, I think the closest we're going to get are the vacuum chambers in Alabama at NASA.

[00:01:26]>> Yeah, but we're not allowed to go into the vacuum chambers. So, the experiments that we make, they're all going to have to be operated remotely.

[00:01:32]>> Okay. Well, I'd like to do the flag test and build it to the original NASA specifications and then figure out some way to turn it like the astronauts did.

[00:01:40]>> All right. Well, I'm going to take care of the footprint myth. I was wondering if you could help me with an experiment to demonstrate the whole theory behind this myth. Boys, boys, don't fight.

[00:01:48]Plenty of me to go round.

[00:01:50]>> Outside M7, Tori sets up the demo with the closest thing he can find to lunar dust. I decided to borrow my grandfather for this experiment.

[00:02:01]And uh I don't think my grandma will mind because well, there's my grandma.

[00:02:07]>> Actually, it's plain old sand. One half of which Tori moistens.

[00:02:11]>> Now, conspiracy theorists say that this clean of an imprint is impossible because you need moisture. And since there's no moisture on the moon, this cannot happen. Now, uh I'm going to demonstrate what they're talking about with the sand here. I have dry sand and I have wet sand. We're going to have Carrie put on a moon boot. You know how to moonwalk?

[00:02:31]Okay. So, the answer is no. She's going to step in both and we're going to see what kind of impression is left behind.

[00:02:36]>> Okay. Ready?

[00:02:37]>> Yep.

[00:02:40]All right. Do the wet.

[00:02:43]The wet sand is definitely cleaner than the dry sand.

[00:02:46]>> Yeah, you've got some really good hard lines in the wet sand.

[00:02:49]>> Yep. The moisture makes the difference.

[00:02:51]Without it, the imprint is indistinct and nothing like Buzz Aldrin's famous boot print.

[00:02:57]>> Now, all we need to do is go to the moon. Try this for real.

[00:03:01]>> I'm just kidding. We don't have the budget.

[00:03:02]>> To the moon, Tori. To the moon.

[00:03:10]Carrie Grant and Tori are taking on tales from Moon Hoax HQ. Conspiracy theorists believe the vacuum in space means these footprints are fake and that flag shouldn't be flapping.

[00:03:23]>> This whole idea that the conspiracy theorists have is based on the fact that there is no wind or atmosphere in a vacuum. Nothing to to blow the flag around. And they would be right about that fact.

[00:03:36]Sorry, the shaft is a little tight in the hole. My belief is that the astronauts moved the flag around as they were planting it in the surface of the moon, and that momentum is actually what they saw as a breeze. So, to test this, I'll be building a replica of the lunar flag assembly, and then we'll put that in a vacuum, and I'll build a mechanism to rotate it the same way the astronauts did. Then we'll see if we get the same flapping motion.

[00:04:05]>> With the remote controlled flag waiver and footprint maker almost complete, Carrie, inspired by footage from the Apollo 15 mission, adds one more test to the agenda.

[00:04:16]>> The really cool thing about a vacuum is that since there's no air resistance, something as light as a feather is going to drop the same rate as something as heavy as a hammer. So, I should be able to put these in the vacuum >> and see them both hit the ground at the same time if it is a true vacuum.

[00:04:34]>> In my left hand, I have a a feather. In my right hand, a hammer.

[00:04:39]>> Commander David Scott carried out his famous test to prove Galileo's hypothesis that all objects are affected equally by gravity with no air resistance. They should fall at the same speed.

[00:04:51]>> How about that? Who said Mr. tell was correct.

[00:04:55]>> So, as a control to confirm visually they're working with a vacuum, Carrie rigs a clamp to drop them at the same time. And with both remote control devices ready to go, the team heads for the George Marshall Space Center in Alabama. Oh my god, these are all vacuum chambers. How great is that? That NASA is opening their doors to let us come in and test this myth. That's how confident they are that this is a myth. All right, close the door.

[00:05:24]>> Let's see if we can pull our feelings out.

[00:05:26]>> You know, I heard this was actually a fuel tank from a Saturn 5 rocket that they converted into a vacuum chamber.

[00:05:32]>> They're just like us. They recycle their old stuff.

[00:05:35]>> And to show us their recycled stuff is NASA vacuum technician Michael Terry.

[00:05:41]>> So, you know how to use this thing?

[00:05:42]>> Oh, yeah. And you're actually going to let us use it?

[00:05:45]>> Yeah, I think I will. Let's just uh be careful. He's obviously never seen the show before.

[00:05:58]>> Look it. It's like It's looked like they cut the arms off of a space suit.

[00:06:02]>> Is that And wait, does your head go here?

[00:06:04]>> Yeah, that's where it goes.

[00:06:06]>> That's awesome.

[00:06:07]>> Yep. Reaching inside a vacuum doesn't come cheap. These are essentially genuine spaceacuit parts.

[00:06:14]>> How much are these gloves worth?

[00:06:16]Approximately they're worth almost a half a million dollars.

[00:06:19]>> Michael really hasn't seen the show before.

[00:06:22]>> Tap out. Tap out.

[00:06:24]>> It's a portable hug.

[00:06:25]>> So, you going to show us how to use these?

[00:06:27]>> Sure. I'll try to do my best. Get you guys to do your hand checked.

[00:06:31]Fingernails need to be kind of shortened up and clipped.

[00:06:35]>> The arms are everything I expected.

[00:06:36]They're all 1950s pop space movie looking kind of robot arms. The only downside is I got to cut my fingernails.

[00:06:47]After the mandatory hand check and fitting, the testing can begin for real.

[00:06:52]And first up, Carrie's hammer and feather rig.

[00:06:55]>> It's good enough. It's not like it's rocket science.

[00:06:57]>> I don't think you can say that around here.

[00:06:59]>> I guess you're right.

[00:07:00]>> The team seal the chamber, but for this control, they don't create a vacuum.

[00:07:05]>> Atmospheric pressure in three, two, one.

[00:07:10]>> Cool. The hammer hit first. Perfect. So the laws of physics still apply. I dropped the hammer and the feather at atmospheric pressure exactly at the same time. Hammer hit first. Feather glided down and hit last.

[00:07:22]>> So after the air is removed from the chamber, Carrie is ready to repeat the drop.

[00:07:27]>> In three, two, one.

[00:07:34]>> That is so cool.

[00:07:36]>> Yep. When there's no air resistance or drag, all objects are equally affected by gravity and fall at the same rate.

[00:07:44]So, we do indeed have a vacuum.

[00:07:46]>> All right. Well, let's move on to our first moon test.

[00:07:49]>> All right. Got your boot?

[00:07:50]>> Yeah, I got my boot.

[00:07:51]>> All right.

[00:07:56]>> Carrie, Grant, and Tori are tackling the moon landing hoax theories that involve a vacuum.

[00:08:03]Some of the first words spoken from the moon's surface answered the simple but powerful question. It's >> almost like a powder.

[00:08:11]>> What did it feel like?

[00:08:12]>> I can see footprints of my uh boots in the fine sandy particles.

[00:08:21]>> But did Buzz Aldrin really make such an impression on the moon? To find out if moon boots make boot prints, Tories borrowed the real deal.

[00:08:30]>> Look what I got. A real moon boot. Wow.

[00:08:33]Isn't that cool?

[00:08:34]>> That looks just like Adams.

[00:08:35]>> Yeah.

[00:08:35]>> So, this is an the actual article.

[00:08:37]>> Yep. Now, all we have to do is put it on the Moon Stomper, smash it in some dust, and see if it leaves a footprint.

[00:08:42]>> This conspiracy theory is pretty interesting. They say that because there's a vacuum on the moon, and there's no water vapor.

[00:08:48]>> Does that fit? You feel your toe there?

[00:08:50]>> You can't leave a clear imprint from your boot the way they did in the photos from the lunar landing.

[00:08:57]I'm not so sure about that. With just 840 lbs of lunar material returned to Earth from all of the Apollo missions, there's not much of it to go around. So for this test, NASA has given us a lunar regalith simulant.

[00:09:12]>> It's manufactured to test equipment that is going to the moon. It's very similar to lunar dust in the fact that each particle is very sharp. Dirt on Earth has been weathered, so it's very smooth.

[00:09:24]So this is as close to lunar dust as we can get. That's likely to be the key to this myth. A comparison of the physical properties of sand and lunar regalith.

[00:09:34]Down here, a footprint in dry sand collapses because the weathered particles can't bind together without water. But up on the moon, other bonding agents are at work. One of which, the irregular and jagged shapes of lunar dust could cause it to stick together in those famous bootprints. Will the irregular shape of lunar regalith in conjunction with the vacuum result in a clean bootprint and bust the myth?

[00:10:01]>> All right, so this is Mythbusters's first step on the moon.

[00:10:03]>> So it's one giant leap for myth kind.

[00:10:06]>> Oh, I think we just went like 20 steps backwards.

[00:10:10]>> Give it a shot.

[00:10:10]>> All right, >> the rig is ready to take its onelegged step and the vacuum chamber has been vacuumed.

[00:10:17]>> Boot stop vacuum. Here we go. In three, two, one.

[00:10:26]>> YEAH, TAKE THAT.

[00:10:28]>> YEAH, >> IT works in your face. Conspiracy theorist.

[00:10:32]>> Yep, it really does work.

[00:10:35]>> Moon landing one. Conspiracy theorist zero.

[00:10:38]>> That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

[00:10:44]>> So, it seems you can make a clean, stable footprint in a vacuum.

[00:10:48]>> Look at that. We made a footprint inside of a vacuum and there was no water vapor, which is what this conspiracy theory is all about.

[00:10:55]>> Well, the gravity is six times stronger on Earth than it is on the moon. So, if we made a footprint here, we're definitely making one on the moon.

[00:11:01]>> So, I guess this conspiracy theory is busted.

[00:11:04]>> Busted.

[00:11:04]>> Busted. Now, NASA will let us out of here.

[00:11:12]>> It's iconic footage replayed countless times across the globe. American astronauts planting the stars and stripes on man's newly conquered neighbor.

[00:11:22]>> It's got to be one of the most proud moments of my life. I guarantee you.

[00:11:25]>> To find out if it really was a PR stunt, Carrie, Grant, and Tori have breached NASA's inner sanctum.

[00:11:34]>> Now, the conspiracy theorists think that they see some sort of breeze blowing around the flag, which you wouldn't have on the moon since there's no atmosphere.

[00:11:43]So, I've built a replica of the lunar flag assembly. We're going to put it in a vacuum chamber, pump out all the air, and see if we can move it around just like the astronauts would have done placing it on the moon. See if we see that back and forth motion.

[00:11:57]>> And to help us get a notion of the motion in a vacuum is NASA's very own Donna Severance.

[00:12:03]>> The oxygen deficiency alarm, >> is that something we should be concerned about?

[00:12:08]>> Only if it goes off. So, this is not your ordinary type of vacuum chamber.

[00:12:12]This is a clean chamber.

[00:12:14]>> We're ready for the shower, >> which means there's no dust, no dander, nothing that will contaminate the chamber because it is designed to test things that are going into space.

[00:12:26]>> All right, time for the flag.

[00:12:28]>> The flag assembly is an exact replica of the one used on the Apollo missions. The horizontal rod specifically prevents the flag collapsing in a windless environment.

[00:12:41]Hey Grant, this is your first rig in space.

[00:12:48]I got to go.

[00:12:50]>> First up to confirm the rig in space is working is the allimportant control.

[00:12:57]>> You guys ready?

[00:12:58]>> Yeah. All right. This is the control at regular atmospheric pressure. And I'm just going to shake the flag as if I were an astronaut planting it in the surface of the moon. All right, ready?

[00:13:11]Be the astronaut. Here we go. Three, two, one.

[00:13:19]All right, it's moving and ready.

[00:13:25]As expected, the momentum of the twisting and turning quickly dissipates and the flag is stationary in no time at all.

[00:13:32]>> Okay, I guess we uh put a vacuum on it and see what happens.

[00:13:35]>> All right, let's start sucking the air out.

[00:13:37]>> So, vacuum tectona turns on the pumps.

[00:13:40]And with the air removed, the guys get ready to plant the stars and stripes.

[00:13:44]>> Okay, here we go. This is flag waving test in a vacuum.

[00:13:51]Okay. Planting it on the surface of the moon and stop.

[00:13:55]>> Oh, it's moving a lot.

[00:13:57]>> It's moving a lot. Hey, >> it's moving a lot.

[00:13:59]>> It's moving a lot. I mean, >> it's still moving.

[00:14:01]>> That's awesome.

[00:14:02]>> There you go.

[00:14:03]>> Without drag or friction from the air, the momentum of Grant's planting action lasts for a surprising amount of time.

[00:14:11]>> Could be mistaken for a breeze.

[00:14:13]>> Yeah.

[00:14:14]>> But it's lower air resistance. Comparing it to the control in regular atmospheric pressure illustrates that theory beautifully. And if there was still any doubt, it looks almost identical to the NASA footage.

[00:14:26]>> So in the vacuum, the flag moved, you know, not just a little bit. It actually moved quite a bit. So that proves you don't need wind in order to move the flag in a vacuum. So unless someone finds a shot of the flag flapping without an astronaut manipulating the flag pole, it's myth busted.

[00:14:45]>> We've come all the way to Alabama NASA to find out once and for all if the conspiracy theorists were correct. Where we at?

[00:14:52]>> Well, we showed that a moon boot can make a footprint in lunar dust inside of a vacuum. So, that one's busted.

[00:14:58]>> And momentum alone will keep a flag waving in a vacuum. You don't need any wind.

[00:15:03]>> So, NASA 2 conspiracy theorists zero.