Volume 1 Issue 1

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Volume 1 Issue 1

From Earth

to Moon Did the Moon really

come from the Earth??

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Contents

From Earth to Moon ................................... 3

Moon’s Composition .................................. 4

Size & Distance from the Earth ................... 4

Phases of the Moon .................................... 5

Orbit of the Moon ...................................... 7

The Moon Effects the Earth?! ..................... 8

Missions to the Moon ............................... 11

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From Earth to Moon

There are several theories that

are a possible explanation for how the

moon was formed.

The Fission Theory: This theory proposes that the Moon was once part of the Earth and somehow separated from the Earth early in the history of the solar system. The present Pacific Ocean basin is the most popular site for the part of the Earth from which the Moon came. This theory was thought possible since the Moon's composition resembles that of the Earth's mantle and a rapidly spinning Earth could have cast off the Moon from its outer layers. However, the present-day Earth-Moon system should contain "fossil evidence" of this rapid spin and it does not. Also, this hypothesis does not have a natural explanation for the extra baking the lunar material has received.

The Capture Theory: This theory proposes that the Moon was formed somewhere else in the solar system, and was later captured by the gravitational field of the Earth. The Moon's different chemical composition could be explained if it formed elsewhere in the solar system, however, capture into the Moon's present orbit is very improbable. Something would have to slow it down by just the right amount at just the right time, and scientists are reluctant to believe in such "fine tuning". Also, this hypothesis does not have a natural explanation for the extra baking the lunar material has received.

The Condensation Theory: This theory proposes that the Moon and the Earth condensed individually from the nebula that formed the solar system, with the Moon formed in orbit around the Earth. However, if the Moon formed in the vicinity of the Earth it should have nearly the same composition. Specifically, it should possess a significant iron core, and it does not. Also, this hypothesis does not have a natural explanation for the extra

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baking the lunar material has received.

Moon’s

Composition

The moon's composition has been of great interest to scientists. With the collection of moon soil and moon rocks by astronauts, many questions have been able to be answered. Moon soil contains no fossils of plants or animals, but when this soil is placed on earth plants, they seem to grow better. Moon rocks are composed of minerals including aluminum, calcium, magnesium, oxygen, silicon, and titanium. Some gases are also trapped in these rocks, such as hydrogen and helium. These gases are said to have reached the moon by solar wind.

The moon's outer crust seems to

be solid and hardy but not much is

known about its inner material.

When Apollo 13 sent part of the

Saturn rocket crashing on to the

moon, the result was seismic

vibrations which lasted for four

hours. These vibrations were not

expected by the scientists

Size & Distance

from the Earth

The average distance between Earth and Moon is approximately 30 times Earth's diameter. (see Figure 1 Below)

The Moon's diameter is 3,474 km,

just over a quarter that of the Earth.

Figure 1

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Phases of the

Moon

The Moon orbit Earth at an average

distance of 382,400 kilometers. The

lunar month is the 29.53 days it takes

to go from one new moon to the

next. During the lunar month, the

Moon goes through all its phases.

You can see the phases drawn in the

image below. Just like the Earth, half

of the Moon is lit by the Sun while

the other half is in darkness. The

phases we see result from the angle

the Moon makes with the Sun as

viewed from Earth. The diagram

below on the right is one you

typically see in books. Don't let it

confuse you. The images of the

Moon show what you see the Moon

look like from Earth when it is at

given points in its orbit. It does not

show which side of the Moon is lit by

the Sun. The side lit by the Sun is

always the side that is pointed

toward the Sun, as seen in the

Diagram below on left.

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Have a pet that pee’s and barks all the time? Well send them to the moon!!

Problem Solved!!!

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Orbit of the

Moon

The Moon appears to move completely around the celestial sphere once in about 27.3 days as observed from the Earth. This is called a sidereal month, and reflects the corresponding orbital period of 27.3 days The moon takes 29.5 days to return to the same point on the celestial sphere as referenced to the Sun because of the motion of the Earth around the Sun; this is called a synodic month (Lunar phases as observed from the Earth are correlated with the synodic month).

There are effects that cause small fluctuations around this value that we will not discuss. Since the Moon must move Eastward among the constellations enough to go completely around the sky (360 degrees) in 27.3 days, it must move Eastward by 13.2 degrees each day

(in contrast, remember that the Sun only appears to move Eastward by about 1 degree per day). Thus, with respect to the background constellations the Moon will be about 13.2 degrees further East each day. Since the celestial sphere appears to turn 1 degree about every 4 minutes, the Moon crosses our celestial meridian about 13.2 x 4

= 52.8 minutes later each day.

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The Moon

Effects the

Earth?!

The most obvious effect that the Moon has on Earth is to produce tides (see figure 1).

Tides don't just lift boats and uncover clam flats; they have caused profound changes to our world.

Figure 1

Watching the tides roll away.

These pictures show low

(right) and high (left) tides at

Bar Harbor, Maine. The tides

are one of the most important

ways that the Moon affects

life on Earth. They are the

result of the fact that the

Moon's gravitational pull does

not affect all parts of Earth

equally: The lunar gravity

exerts a stronger pull on the

parts of Earth that are closer

to the Moon. This tugs the

oceans ever so slightly toward

the Moon. The effect is small -

- it lifts the surface of the

ocean by less than 1 meter --

but enough to create a wave

that travels around the globe

as Earth rotates. As this wave

enters shallow coastal waters,

it increases in size. Photos

courtesy of John Neff,

University of Iowa.

Tides occur because the gravitational force between two bodies decreases with distance. Gravitation is the universal force of attraction between all matter. It holds astronomical bodies together

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and attracts different bodies

toward each other. Because gravity tugs on nearby things more strongly than on distant things, the oceans closest to the Moon feel the greatest attraction to the Moon. Being fluid, these nearby oceans move upward in response to the Moon's pull, until there is a balance between the

upward force from the Moon and the downward force from Earth. The high tide on the far side of the Earth occurs because these most distant oceans feel the least attraction to the Moon. In essence, they are left behind as the Moon pulls the other parts of Earth toward itself

with greater force.

10

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Missions to the

Moon

1959

Luna 1 - Jan 2, 1959 - Flyby

Pioneer 4 - Mar 3, 1959 - Flyby

Luna 2 - Sep 12, 1959 - Impact

Luna 3 - Oct 4, 1959 - Probe

1960

1961

Ranger 1 - Aug 23, 1961 - Attempted

Test Flight

Ranger 2 - Nov 18, 1961 - Attempted

Test Flight

1962

Ranger 3 - Jan 26, 1962 - Attempted

Impact

Ranger 4 - Apr 23, 1962 - Impact

Ranger 5 - Oct 18, 1962 - Attempted

Impact

1963

Luna 4 - Apr 2, 1963 - Flyby

1964

Ranger 6 - Jan 30, 1964 - Impact

Ranger 7 - Jul 28, 1964 - Impact

1965

Ranger 8 - Feb 17, 1965 - Impact

Ranger 9 - Mar 21, 1965 - Impact

Luna 5 - May 9, 1965 - Impact

Luna 6 - Jun 8, 1965 - Attempted Lander

Zond 3 - Jul 18, 1965 - Flyby

Luna 7 - Oct 4, 1965 - Impact

Luna 8 - Dec 3, 1965 - Impact

1966

Luna 9 - Jan 31, 1966 - Lander

Luna 10 - Mar 31, 1966 - Orbiter

Surveyor 1 - May 30, 1966 - Lander

Lunar Orbiter 1 - Aug 10, 1966 - Orbiter

Luna 11 - Aug 24, 1966 - Orbiter

Surveyor 2 - Sep 20, 1966 - Attempted

Lander

Luna 12 - Oct 22, 1966 - Orbiter

Lunar Orbiter 2 - Nov 6, 1966 - Orbiter

Luna 13 - Dec 21, 1966 - Lander

1967

Lunar Orbiter 3 - Feb 4, 1967 - Orbiter

Surveyor 3 - Apr 17, 1967 - Lander

Lunar Orbiter 4 - May 8, 1967 - Orbiter

Surveyor 4 - Jul 14, 1967 - Attempted

Lander

Explorer 35 (IMP-E) - Jul 19, 1967 -

Orbiter

Lunar Orbiter 5 - Aug 1, 1967 - Orbiter

Surveyor 5 - Sep 8, 1967 - Lander

Surveyor 6 - Nov 7, 1967 - Lander

1968

Surveyor 7 - Jan 7, 1968 - Lander

Luna 14 - Apr 7, 1968 - Orbiter

Zond 5 - Sep 15, 1968 - Return Probe

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Zond 6 - Nov 10, 1968 - Return Probe

Apollo 8 - Dec 21, 1968 - Crewed Orbiter

1969

Apollo 10 - May 18, 1969 - Orbiter

Luna 15 - Jul 13, 1969 - Orbiter

Apollo 11 - Jul 16, 1969 - Crewed

Landing

Zond 7 - Aug 7, 1969 - Return Probe

Apollo 12 - Nov 14, 1969 - Crewed

Landing

1970

Apollo 13 - Apr 11, 1970 - Crewed

Landing (aborted)

Luna 16 - Sep 12, 1970 - Sample Return

Zond 8 - Oct 20, 1970 - Return Probe

Luna 17 - Nov 10, 1970 - Rover

1971

Apollo 14 - Jan 31, 1971 - Crewed

Landing

Apollo 15 - Jul 26, 1971 - Crewed

Landing

Luna 18 - Sep 2, 1971 - Impact

Luna 19 - Sep 28, 1971 - Orbiter

1972

Luna 20 - Feb 14, 1972 - Sample Return

Apollo 16 - Apr 16, 1972 - Crewed

Landing

Apollo 17 - Dec 7, 1972 - Crewed

Landing

1973

Luna 21 - Jan 8, 1973 - Rover

Explorer 49 (RAE-B) - Jun 10, 1973 -

Orbiter

1974

Luna 22 - Jun 2, 1974 - Orbiter

Luna 23 - Oct 28, 1974 - Lander

1975

1976

Luna 24 - Aug 14, 1976 - Sample Return

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

Hiten - Jan 24, 1990 - Flyby and Orbiter

1991

1992

1993

1994

Clementine - Jan 25, 1994 - Orbiter

1995

1996

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1997

AsiaSat 3/HGS-1 - Dec 24, 1997 - Lunar

Flyby

1998

Lunar Prospector - Jan 7, 1998 - Orbiter

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

SMART 1 - Sep 27, 2003 - Lunar Orbiter

2004

2005

2006

2007

Kaguya (SELENE) - Sep 14, 2007 - Lunar

Orbiter

Chang'e 1 - Oct 24, 2007 - Lunar Orbiter

2008

Chandrayaan-1 - Oct 22, 2008 - Lunar

Orbiter

2009

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter - June 17,

2009 - Lunar Orbiter

LCROSS - June 17, 2009 - Lunar Orbiter

and Impactor

2010

Chang'e 2 - Oct 1, 2010 - Lunar Orbiter

2011

Gravity Recovery And Interior

Laboratory (GRAIL) - Sep 10, 2011 - Lunar

Orbiter

2012

2013

Lunar Atmosphere and Dust

Environment Explorer (LADEE) - Mar, 2013 -

Lunar Orbiter