Due to the harsh and mysterious environments the astronauts would come into contact with while traveling to the moon as well as when walking on it, the need for such protective equipment is no surprise. Yet, if humans were to colonize the moon, and the protective clothing would be much less necessary in their day-to-day lives, would those spacesuits still be necessary?
Back in 1969, the United States was the first country on Earth to successfully send humans to the Moon. I am sure many of you are familiar with the image of an American Flag on the moon, planted there by the Apollo 11 astronauts that first walked on it. However, despite the symbolic ownership that this flag places on the moon, did you know that there is actually a treaty in existence that guarantees the freedom for any country to explore the moon?
The 2010 Winter Solstice Total Lunar Eclipse is over and I’m sure we’re all recovering from a serious lack of sleep! What a night! The above photo was submitted by Candace who says she used a Canon Rebel T2i without a telephoto lens to capture the event. As you can see, the moon is completely in the Earth’s shadow – or umbra – and is displaying the characteristic red-orange hue.
On December 21, 2010 at 1:33 am Eastern Standard Time (EST) [8:17 UTC], the Moon will enter Earth’s penumbra or partial shadow. You will see the moon dim and begin to turn a reddish color. At 2:41 am EST, the Moon will enter the Earth’s umbra or full shadow. This is when the total lunar eclipse begins.
Instead of merely being a place to set foot on, is it possible that the moon can be a useful mineral resource for us? What exactly is the moon made out of, anyway?