This is the Web Edition of "A Trip Into Space", a Coimbra-based electronic book on space science. Both the texts and the photos are by courtesy of National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The Moon
Astronaut Planting A Footprint On The The Moon

Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Aldrin photographed his foot leaving an impression on the lunar soil as part of an experiment to study the nature of lunar dust and the effects of pressure on the surface. The dust was found to compact easily under the weight of the astronauts leaving a shallow but clear impression of the boots, characteristic of a very fine, dry material. (Apollo 11, AS11-40-5880)

Last Update: 2004-Nov-27