# Running on the moon..

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-on-the-moon/161275>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 14, 2003, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-on-the-moon/161275 "2003-03-14T06:26:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![moc.liamtoh\_rorrim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@moc.liamtoh\_rorrim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moc.liamtoh_rorrim)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-on-the-moon/161275/1 "2003-03-14T06:26:22Z")

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I saw footage of the first moon walk, the astronauts were doing their little skipping thing on the moon, this footage was then sped up and they appeared just to be running normally… on earth.

Im not looking for a debate, argument or anything about the moon landing being a hoax, i just want to know, If i was running on the moon would my strides be longer and/or higher?

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**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-on-the-moon/161275/2 "2003-03-14T06:32:54Z")

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Yes, but the lessened traction means you wouldn’t be going as fast.

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**Author:** ![ChalkPit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@ChalkPit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChalkPit)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-on-the-moon/161275/3 "2003-03-14T06:41:50Z")

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My basic understanding would be that if gravity is less, your strides will be longer for the same amount of effort that you would put into a stride on Earth, as it takes longer for you to come down again.

I once worked out that you could **cycle** into orbit on Mars’s smaller moon (not sure if its Phobos or Deimos), so in the extreme you could take a stride miles long if the gravity was low enough.

I imagine the astronauts skipped in that way, partly due to the design of their suits.

As for being faster - don’t know.

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**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-on-the-moon/161275/4 "2003-03-14T06:55:43Z")

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In the accounts the astronauts gave while they were on the Moon, they seemed to think that it was _faster_. The problem is that they had difficulty judging distances, so everything appeared closer than it really was. They still seem to think that it’s a pretty fast way to get around, and had a great deal of fun cavorting around on the Moon. Now, if only the rest of us could try it. ☹

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**Author:** ![moc.liamtoh\_rorrim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@moc.liamtoh\_rorrim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moc.liamtoh_rorrim)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/running-on-the-moon/161275/5 "2003-03-14T08:35:36Z")

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its just in the footage, when sped up they were running at a normal “earth” pace.