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Explore the remarkable journey of lunar exploration, from Sputnik to Apollo missions. Learn about moon phases, eclipses, and lunar properties.
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Moon Ch-25
Exploration of the moon • Moon is only 386000 km away • Need to aim at where it will be • Off by seconds will mean it misses the moon and goes into orbit around the sun • Slow down to obtain lunar orbit by using retro rockets
First object in space Sputnik First to the moon luna 1 Did a flyby then into orbit around the sun luna 2 Crashed into the moon first object to reach the moon luna 3 Orbited and returned pictures first pictures of the far side of the moon How did we do itSoviets
Pioneer series Pioneers 1,2,3 Unsuccessful Pioneer 4 Flyby of moon 1961 kennedy Speech “land an astronaut on the moon and return him safely to Earth” We had not even put a man in space yet Soviets had orbited Yuri Gagarin 1 orbit 108 minutes Soviets sent up Gherman Titov 17 orbits 25 hours USA
Two Prong Approach • #1 Build something to land on the moon • #2 Build something to get a human into space
Landing on the Moon • Ranger probes • purpose send back pictures of the moon then crash into it • Ranger 4 did it • first American object on the moon • Ranger 7,8 &9 finished the job • Surveyor probes • purpose land on the moon and determine conditions
Mercury missions Mercury 3 Alan Shepard Flight was suborbital but proved we could launch and bring them back Mercury 6 John Glenn 3 orbits 5 hours Gemini missions 1965-1966 (2 people) Proved we could stay up long enough to get to the moon Proved we could dock with another spacecraft Putting Man into Space
Going to the moon • Apollo missions (1969) • Neil Armstrong & Edwin Alden jr. first to walk on the moon • went six times • Spacecraft was 110 meters tall and weighed 3 million kilograms • only 6000 kilograms return
Three Theories as to the Origin of the Moon • Formed at the same time and from same material • Capture theory • Was formed elsewhere and captured by Earth’s gravity • Spinning Theory • Earth’s was spinning so fast that some of it was thrown into space • Collision theory • 4.5 billion yrs ago an object the size of a planet collided with Earth knocking a piece off • hit off center
Development of the Moon • Continued to grow from meteoroid impacts (4.5 –4 bill yrs ago) • Impacts would melt the surface leaving huge magma fields • Allowed the lighter material to float to the top • Impact would form craters & Mountains
Impacts slowed (4 – 3 bill yrs ago) • Earth and moon had swept through most of the object in their orbital paths • Lava flows up through some of the cracks in the craters to fill the basins • Darker in color • Interior cooled to inactive status • Still being bombarded by micrometeoroids • Little atmosphere does not allow them to burn up
Moon Properties • Rotation rate equal revolution rate • same side is always facing Earth • Diameter = 3476 km • ¼ Earth’s • Mass = 1/18 Earth’s • Density = 3.3 gr/cm3 • Earth = 5.5 gr/cm3 • Gravity =1/6 Earth
Lunar Landscape • Maria • Thought to be seas (Dark in color) • basaltic magma filled basins • youngest lunar rocks at 3.1 – 3.8 bill yrs • Mascons • A Maria with higher gravity readings • denser material below • Rilles • Trenches that formed from flowing lava • hard crust forms then roof caves in
Highlands • Light colored • Mountains and craters (some up to 5 km) • thrust up by impacts • older 4 – 4.5 bill yrs old • Craters • Pits created by meteoroids (2100 km across) • Rims are large cliffs (some 1000’s of meters)
Rays • Streaks that radiate out from a crater • Length depends on • size of object • larger = larger • speed of object • faster = larger • angle of object • shallower = larger
Regolith • lunar soil • no water • dust and rock particles • grayish brown in color
Motion of the Moon • Rises in the east sets in the west • Apparent motion due to earth’s rotation • Rises & sets 50 minutes later each day • ex) rise today at 3:00 tomorrow at 3:50 • Revolution = 27 1/3 days • Lunar month is 29.5 days • difference in time is because of earth’s movement in it’s orbit
Orbit of the Moon • Off by 5 degrees • Causes eclipses at different times • Elliptical • Apogee • farthest away (moon appears small) • Perigee • Closest (Moon appears large)
Phases of the Moon • Half of the moon is always lit • Terms • waxing – lit part getting larger • Waning – lit part getting smaller
Eclipses • When an object is in the shadow of another • Types of shadows • Umbra - darkest part • Penumbra - lightest part • Types of eclipses • lunar eclipse • the moon is blocked out by the shadow from the earth • must be at full moon
Lunar Eclipse SUN EARTH MOON
Solar eclipse • the sun is blocked out by the moon • must be at new moon • Two types • Partial - in the penumbra • Total - in the umbra
Solar Eclipse Partial eclipse (Penumbra) EARTH Moon Total eclipse (Umbra) Partial eclipse (Penumbra)
Effects of the Moon • Tides • A bulge of water pulled around the planet • Rise and fall with the moon • 50 min later each day • Every spot has four tides a day • 2 high and 2 low • Each lasts 6 hours and 12.5 minutes
Types of Tides • Spring tide • high high tides and low low tides • caused by the moon and sun lining up to create a larger than average pull • new and full moon phases • Neap Tide • Low high tides and high low tides • Caused by the sun and moon pulling at right angles • Quarter phases
Spring Tides Moon Earth Sun Sun Moon Earth
Neap Tides Moon Earth Sun