Mission Moon

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Slide 1

Mission: Moon!

Slide 2

What is it like on the Moon?

Slide 3

What is it like on the Moon?

Length of Day

Atmosphere

Temperature

Water

Radiation

Gravity

Landscape

Slide 4

Long Days and Long Nights

The Moon spins on its axis – rotates – once every 27 days

Earth rotates once every 24 hours

The Moon’s rotation means its “day” is almost two weeks long – and then it’s dark for two weeks!

Slide 5

Nothing to Breathe

The Moon does not have an atmosphere

Atmospheres are important because they protect us from harmful solar radiation and help to keep temperatures

Slide 6

Really Hot and Really Cold

The Moon’s temperatures range from +107 C in the sunlight to –153 C in the shade or darkness (that’s +224 F to –243 F below freezing!)

The temperature changes so much because there is no atmosphere to moderate it.

Extreme changes are bad for equipment.

Slide 7

Water?

There is no liquid water on the Moon.

There may be frozen water – ice – in deep craters near the poles.

Oh no.

Slide 8

Sunscreen, Anyone?

Solar radiation levels on the Moon’s surface are dangerously high because there is no atmosphere to block incoming radiation.

Slide 9

High Jump!

The Moon is smaller than Earth, but because it has mass, it DOES HAVE GRAVITY!

The Moon’s gravity is ~1/6 of Earth’s.

Because there is less “pull” on you, you will weigh less and jump higher on the Moon!

Slide 10

Dusty!

The Moon’s rocks have been pulverized into a fine powder by continuous asteroid impacts.

This “regolith” layer can be 45 feet thick!

Slide 11

Lunar Landscape

Lunar Highlands

Bright, heavily cratered, Lunar Highlands – terrae. Mostly plagioclase rocks that are about four and a half billion years old!

Dark, smooth Lunar Lowlands – maria (“mar-e-uh”). Made of 3 to 4 billion year old basalt – the same rock type as Earth’s ocean floor and the Hawaii volcanos.