How high can you jump on the Moon and other planets

Physics Ninja looks at how high you could jump on the moon and other planets such as Mercury and Jupiter. We calculate the acceleration due to gravity in each case and calculate the maximum height and the total time in the air.

[carultch]

When I first saw the videos of the Apollo astronauts jumping, I had wondered why they didn't try for an impressive 10 foot jump. That would blow everyone's minds and be an epic scene, as they jump higher than any person had ever jumped before. Instead, the jumps look about the same height as an Earthbound jump, except in what appears to be slow motion. I know it is legit, but still I wondered why the jumps weren't as high as I expected.

It turns out, there's also the suit payload doubling their mass, and the pressurized suit that makes body movements a lot more difficult. So maybe a 5 foot jump is more realistic for their maximum possible jump. On top of that, it would be a lot of risk to try an epic 5 foot jump, so the astronauts deliberately kept it as a gentle jump that wouldn't risk damage the suits, if they fell while landing.