We have all looked at it at some point and marveled at its presence, but after reading this fact you might have a slightly different opinion the next time.
Did you know that the lunar surface is actually a graveyard? Well, that is pushing things a bit far, but to provide you with an explanation, we need to look at the store of a Dr Eugene Shoemaker.
Dr Shoemakerer was a US Geological astronomer and a pretty big deal in his field. In fact, he even spent a considerable amount of time involved in the moon projects including educating the Apollo astronauts on craters and everything that they would ever need to know about them. So, when he died, it was perhaps no surprise that he would have a rather unique and different request when it came to what was to be done with his ashes.
The poor doctor had wanted to be an astronaut but he was unable to get into the training program because of an outstanding medical issue. However, while he may have been unable to get into space while he was alive, he certainly managed to do it when he was dead.
After his death in 1997, it just so happened that NASA was preparing to launch a probe to the moon called the Lunar Prospector. So, to pay homage to the astronomer, some of his ashes were placed in a special canister and attached to the Prospector. This vial was then effectively blasted off the Prospector at a huge speed and it was smashed directly into a crater , therefore, burying a small amount of his ashes on the moon.
So, next time you look at the moon just remember that there really is a ‘man on the moon’ at least in some sense of the word anyway.