Interesting Facts about Moon
ASTRONAUTS ARE HEADING BACK TO EARTH'S NEAREST NEIGHBOR-EVENTUALLY, TO STAY
On July 21, 1969, millions of television viewers around the world tuned in to the news to watch an amazing event. For the first time ever, people were walking on the moon!
The now-famous moon walkers were American astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong. For two hours, the astronauts kicked up dust and left long-lasting footprints in the moon's powdery gray soil. The experience caused Armstrong to utter some unforgettable words: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
Moon Mission
Since Aldrin and Armstrong's first moon walk, 10 more people have set foot on the gray globe's chalky surface. But no one has walked on the moon for more than 34 years. Now, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is planning another giant leap for mankind. It's gearing up to send astronauts back to the moon — eventually, to stay!
Why send astronauts back? Because our nearest neighbor in space is a great place to learn more about Earth and the rest of the universe. It could also serve as a launching pad for destinations farther than people have ever traveled.
Old Pals
The moon is much more than a chunk of lifeless rock orbiting Earth. "It's actually a piece of Earth itself," says Tony Colaprete, a scientist who works at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.
Scientists believe that 4 billion years ago, a small planet the size of Mars smashed into Earth. The crash was so powerful that it chipped off a gigantic chunk of our planet and kicked it into space. That chunk is now the moon.
That's one reason to make a return trip, says Colaprete. Since the moon is made of ancient Earth, some scientists think that studying it up close will tell us what our home planet was like long ago.
The moon could also give scientists a better look at what the rest of our universe is like. Earth's atmosphere and city lights can alter the images that scientists see in telescopes. But the moon doesn't have an atmosphere. Nor does it have any of Earth's big city lights. So by setting up telescopes there, researchers could get a clearer view of space.
Home Base
Eventually, the moon could also act as a training camp for trips to planets. The 384,400-kilometer (238,855-mile) trip to the moon takes a spacecraft only two and a half days. Mars, though, is much farther. Its closest distance from Earth has measured 54,500,000 kilometers (33,864,730miles). So a trek to Mars could take almost nine months. "That lengthy time makes it much more difficult to go back if something goes wrong or there's something that we forgot," explains scientist Chris McKay, who works at NASA's Ames Research Center.
After it sends four astronauts to the moon for a brief period in 2018, NASA will have other astronauts visit it for longer stretches of time.
Eventually, colonies of astronauts could live there for six months.
But the moon has no food or oxygen, a gas that humans must breathe to stay alive. So how can astronauts remain there for such long periods? They'll use the same trick that extreme mountaineers use to survive in the wilderness, says McKay. On their first few trips, astronauts will take some supplies, such as oxygen packs and tasty meals, with them in separate cargo vehicles. But eventually, they plan to mine some supplies from the moon's surface itself. Some researchers believe that there's oxygen buried in the moon's dirt, and water hidden in its deep craters.
Figuring out how to live on the moon could teach scientists the skills needed to keep exploring the rest of the universe. Says McKay: "A moon base is the first step to an essentially endless voyage into space."
Words to Know
Moon — a sphere that circles around a planet. Some moons are rocky, while others are mostly ice.
Orbit — to circle around an object
Atmosphere — the layers of gas that surround a planet
Oxygen — a colorless, odorless gas that is found in the Earth's atmosphere
Crater — a large hole formed by the impact of a space rock
SPACECRAFT NAME AREA OF TOUCHDOWN
1 APOLLO 11 SEA OF TRANQUILITY
2 APOLLO 12 OCEAN OF STORMS
3 APOLLO 14 FREA MAURO FORMATION
4 APOLLO 15 HADLEY-APENNINE
5 APOLLO 16 PLAIN OF DESCARTES
6 APOLLO 17 TAURUS-LITTROW
By: Brownlee, Christy, Scholastic SuperScience, Sep2006
On July 21, 1969, millions of television viewers around the world tuned in to the news to watch an amazing event. For the first time ever, people were walking on the moon!
The now-famous moon walkers were American astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong. For two hours, the astronauts kicked up dust and left long-lasting footprints in the moon's powdery gray soil. The experience caused Armstrong to utter some unforgettable words: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
Moon Mission
Since Aldrin and Armstrong's first moon walk, 10 more people have set foot on the gray globe's chalky surface. But no one has walked on the moon for more than 34 years. Now, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is planning another giant leap for mankind. It's gearing up to send astronauts back to the moon — eventually, to stay!
Why send astronauts back? Because our nearest neighbor in space is a great place to learn more about Earth and the rest of the universe. It could also serve as a launching pad for destinations farther than people have ever traveled.
Old Pals
The moon is much more than a chunk of lifeless rock orbiting Earth. "It's actually a piece of Earth itself," says Tony Colaprete, a scientist who works at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California.
Scientists believe that 4 billion years ago, a small planet the size of Mars smashed into Earth. The crash was so powerful that it chipped off a gigantic chunk of our planet and kicked it into space. That chunk is now the moon.
That's one reason to make a return trip, says Colaprete. Since the moon is made of ancient Earth, some scientists think that studying it up close will tell us what our home planet was like long ago.
The moon could also give scientists a better look at what the rest of our universe is like. Earth's atmosphere and city lights can alter the images that scientists see in telescopes. But the moon doesn't have an atmosphere. Nor does it have any of Earth's big city lights. So by setting up telescopes there, researchers could get a clearer view of space.
Home Base
Eventually, the moon could also act as a training camp for trips to planets. The 384,400-kilometer (238,855-mile) trip to the moon takes a spacecraft only two and a half days. Mars, though, is much farther. Its closest distance from Earth has measured 54,500,000 kilometers (33,864,730miles). So a trek to Mars could take almost nine months. "That lengthy time makes it much more difficult to go back if something goes wrong or there's something that we forgot," explains scientist Chris McKay, who works at NASA's Ames Research Center.
After it sends four astronauts to the moon for a brief period in 2018, NASA will have other astronauts visit it for longer stretches of time.
Eventually, colonies of astronauts could live there for six months.
But the moon has no food or oxygen, a gas that humans must breathe to stay alive. So how can astronauts remain there for such long periods? They'll use the same trick that extreme mountaineers use to survive in the wilderness, says McKay. On their first few trips, astronauts will take some supplies, such as oxygen packs and tasty meals, with them in separate cargo vehicles. But eventually, they plan to mine some supplies from the moon's surface itself. Some researchers believe that there's oxygen buried in the moon's dirt, and water hidden in its deep craters.
Figuring out how to live on the moon could teach scientists the skills needed to keep exploring the rest of the universe. Says McKay: "A moon base is the first step to an essentially endless voyage into space."
Words to Know
Moon — a sphere that circles around a planet. Some moons are rocky, while others are mostly ice.
Orbit — to circle around an object
Atmosphere — the layers of gas that surround a planet
Oxygen — a colorless, odorless gas that is found in the Earth's atmosphere
Crater — a large hole formed by the impact of a space rock
SPACECRAFT NAME AREA OF TOUCHDOWN
1 APOLLO 11 SEA OF TRANQUILITY
2 APOLLO 12 OCEAN OF STORMS
3 APOLLO 14 FREA MAURO FORMATION
4 APOLLO 15 HADLEY-APENNINE
5 APOLLO 16 PLAIN OF DESCARTES
6 APOLLO 17 TAURUS-LITTROW
By: Brownlee, Christy, Scholastic SuperScience, Sep2006
posted by James at 1:45 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home