On the moon if you hit a golf ball hard enough would you be able to put it into orbit?

Question

I was thinking that if the hole was to your right you could hit the ball with an iron to the left, and get it into the hole by travelling all the way around the moon. What type of club would be best? A 9-iron, a driver, or a pitching wedge?

Do any of you golfers think you'd be able to get a hole in 1?

Answer 1

Doubt that

Answer 2

i know nothing about physics so i'm gonna say yes! i'm also pants at golf, though i'm pretty good playing golf on the wii! i rekon i could get a whole in one :p

Answer 3

didnt one of the first astronauts hit a golf ball off the moon?

Answer 4

you could try it and see if it works

one of the first astronauts did hit a golf ball off the moon

Answer 5

The Lunar escape velocity is 2.4 Km/s so no, I don't think you could hit the ball that hard!

If you could though, it would escape!

(very detailed discussion of Lunar escape velocity below if you can stomach it!)

Answer 6

no i don't think so

Answer 7

no. ur a freak. thanks for the two points.

Answer 8

Yes, with the thrust of the Eagle that landed and took off from the moon.

Answer 9

Neil,

Refer to this list of escape velocities:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_velo...

As you can see, to hit a ball off of the moon you'd have to hit it so hard that it would travel 1.4 km/s on the EARTH! That's pretty much impossible, the speed of sound on earth is 1130 ft/s....so the golf ball would have to be traveling exponentially faster than the speed of sound on earth in order to achieve lunar escape velocity.

Not gonna happen.....interesting question though!

Answer 10

Surely if you sent it into orbit,then it wouldn't fall into the hole even if it went right round the moon - it would simply continue to circle the moon like a mini satellite?

Answer 11

the only person to hit a golf ball on the moon was niel armstrong so i guess you should ask him

Answer 12

Definately not a pitching wedge, but the moon's lack of gravity just might be able to send it into orbit...

Hope I Helped,

SV