Census Bureau Daily Feature for Friday, February 6: Golf on the Moon
WASHINGTON-(Business Wire)-February 6, 2009 - Profile America — Friday, February 6th. Occasionally, when someone hits a really good golf shot, a partner will exclaim “out of this world.” The first and only golf shots really made out of this world occurred on this date in 1971. Astronaut Alan Shepard brought a 6-iron he had stashed away aboard his Apollo spacecraft down to the surface of the moon and swung at several golf balls. He whiffed his first swing, but considering the bulkiness of his space suit, his others resulted in good shots. In spite of the reduced pull of the moon’s gravity, none of them went out of sight, or into orbit. Nearly 25 million Americans enjoy golf every year, playing on close to 16,000 courses. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.
| Sources: | Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 1209, 1203 | |
Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the “Newsroom” button).
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