1.2 The Moon

1.2 The Moon

1. lunar features

2. Manned exploration

   • NASA's Apollo space programme was conceived in 1960
   • The primary purpose was to send humans to the moon and return them safely to earth
   • further objectives included
     • the collection of lunar soil and rock for analysis on return to earth
     • the deployment of scientific experiments on the lunar surface
     • winning the race to the moon against the soviet union
   • The goal to land on the moon was finally reached in July 1969
   • From Apollo 12 onwards each missions astronauts deployed a different array of experiments called ALSEP's
   • individual instruments in each ALSEP were employed to measure analyse and moniter:
     • the structure of the moons interior
     • the composition and pressure of the lunar atmosphere
     • the intensity and direction of the solar wind
     • minute changes in lunar gravity
     • the prescence of micrometeorites and secondary particles ejected by meteorite impacts
     • thermal and electrical properties of the lunar sub-surface

3. formation of the moon

   • Various hypothesis have been proposed for the formation of the moon aproximately 4.5 million years ago
     • condensation ands co-formation hypothesis
       • The earth and moon formed at the same time and place from material within the solar nebular
     • fission hypothesis
       • a rappidly-spinning earth caused a blob of material to spin of and form the moon
     • capture hypothesis
       • the moon was formed a great distance from the earth and subsequently captured by the earths gravitational pull during a chance 'close encounter'

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