The footprints that will last millions of years

The footprints the astronauts left on the Moon are still there, intact. And they could last millions of years.

On Earth, any print in the sand disappears within hours: it is erased by wind, rain, waves, life. The Moon has none of that. It lacks an atmosphere and liquid water, so there is no wind or erosion to smooth the ground.

The only thing that can blur those marks is the achingly slow impact of micrometeorites and the dust they kick up, a process that takes an eternity. That is why the footprints of the Apollo missions, left more than half a century ago, remain drawn almost as they were on the first day.

Source: NASA