Moon
All about the Earth’s moon
As this issue commemorates 45 years since the first human placed foot on the Moon it seems rather fitting to feature the Moon in this astronomy item. As we all know the Moon is our nearest astronomical body at about a quarter of a million miles or 405,000 Km away. Unlike other planets in our …
Take a closer look at the Moon
Observing the Moon The object of the month this time is the closest celestial body to us: The Moon. The Moon plays a big part in Astronomy for a number of reasons, the main one being light. Although the Moon does not generate light itself, it acts as a giant reflector for the sun. When …
Moon phases: Past, present and future
Take a look tonight at the Moon. What lunar phase do you observe? If you and your students want to learn more about the lunar phases before studying the night sky, we recommend: http://bit.ly/RShiwaay. Observing the Moon night after night and either photographing the phase or drawing it, is a good way to understand the …
Unsung heroes of the Apollo program
For years history has celebrated the crews of elite astronauts who rode fire to the Moon and the unique twelve who walked on its surface. To a lesser degree, the senior mission specialists working in Houston and in Florida were also lauded. But at its height during the Apollo program 400,000 people were involved in …
Fly me to the Moon (on the Boeing Space Tug)
Vocabulary Crew Module (CM): The part of the spacecraft where the astronauts live and work Crew Module Weight: The total weight of the CM including provisions and the crew Crew Size (Crew): The total number of astronauts needed to conduct a specific space mission Dry Weight (m1): The weight of the spacecraft fully loaded excluding …
China lands Yutu rover on the Moon
China scored a stunning, history making success with the successful touchdown of the ambitious Chang’e-3 probe with the ‘Yutu’ rover on the surface of the Moon Dec. 14, 2013, on the country’s first ever attempt to conduct a landing on an extraterrestrial body. The dramatic Chang’e-3 soft landing on the lava filled plains of the …