How Fast Is Feather Falling?

A feather descends through still air at just 0.4 metres per second — its flat shape produces enormous drag relative to its tiny mass. In vacuum, it falls at exactly the same speed as a hammer, as Apollo 15 famously demonstrated on the lunar surface.

A feather and a hammer dropped together in vacuum hit the ground simultaneously — Apollo 15 astronaut David Scott proved this on the Moon's surface in 1971.

• About 3.5× slower than walking
• On the Moon (no air), falls as fast as a hammer