Question:

Is it possible to moon walk on the moon?

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  1. Much easier because of the 1/6 gravity, it would more like moon gliding.


  2. I would argue that it's more difficult.

    Today's space suits don't allow the degree of flexibility necessary to most dance moves.  But let's discount that in the spirit of the question.

    The reason I think it would be more difficult is because the dance step known as the Moon Walk requires the dancer to push off strongly with one toe.  The foot that is flat on the floor does not bear much if any weight.  The traction you get on the weight- and thrust-bearing toe depends on the friction you can generate with the underlying surface.  That friction is a product of the coefficient of friction between the shoe sole and the floor and the weight placed on it.

    In lunar gravity there is simply not that much weight.  Apollo astronauts weighed only 60 pounds in lunar gravity including the massive space suit backpack.  But to make matters worse, you still have all the inertia, which is a result of mass, not gravity.  So you to get you moving means you have to overcome all the normal inertia, but with only a fraction of the friction (pun intended) you would normally enjoy.

    Watching the astronauts walk on the lunar surface, you can see that they're dealing with about 350 pounds-mass worth of inertia (their bodies plus 200 pounds of space-suit), with only about 60 pounds of friction.  You can see their difficulty stopping and starting.

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