Exploring the Moon
When was the first picture of the Moon taken?
The first picture of the Moon was taken in 1839, shortly after the invention of photography, by John Draper. The image to the right is the very first picture of the Moon that he took using a 12 inch telescope. He had to expose his photographic plate to the moonlight for 20 minutes to create this picture.
Image credit: John W. Draper
When were telescopes first used to study the Moon?
In 1609, the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei was the first person to use a telescope to study the Moon. Using a telescope with a magnification of twenty times, he was able to see the mountains, craters, and rough surface of the Moon. During Galileo's time, people believed that the Moon's surface was smooth, so his observations caused many arguements. Since photography did not exist at the time, Galileo sketched what he saw through his telecope. To the right is a set of four of Galileo's engravings of the Moon, showing what he saw through his telescope.
How long does it take to get to the Moon?
How long it takes to get to the Moon depends on how fast a spacecraft travels. The Apollo missions took about three days to reach the Moon. The fastest mission which flew by the Moon (but did not stop) was NASA's New Horizons Pluto mission, which took only 8 hours and 35 minutes and traveled at speeds of over over 58,000 km/hr. The longest trip to the Moon, by the ESA SMART-1 lunar probe launched in 2003, took 1 year plus 6 weeks. It used a new, very fuel efficient, ion engine.
Image Credit: NASA
When did the first spacecraft land on the Moon?
The Soviet spacecraft Luna 2 (Lunik 2), launched on September 12, 1959, was the first spacecraft to reach the surface of the Moon. It crashed onto the Moon's surface on September 14, 1959. Fortunately, it was an unmanned spacecraft, so there were no astronauts on board.
Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/NSSDC
Who were the first people to land on the Moon?
The first people to land the Moon were were the Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. They landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969. Neil Armstrong was the first to set foot on the Moon and he was followed shortly afterwards by Buzz Aldrin. They spent 21 hours on the lunar surface and collected 46 pounds of Moon rocks to bring back to Earth for study. The third astronaut of the Apollo 11 crew, Michael Collins, remained in orbit around the Moon piloting the command module. The picture on this page shows (from left to right) astronauts Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin.
Image Credit: NASA
How many astronauts have walked on the Moon?
Twelve astronauts have walked on the Moon. The first astronauts landed on the Moon in 1969 and the last astronauts landed on the Moon in 1972. These astronauts were part of the six Apollo missions which each landed two astronauts on the Moon's surface.
Image Credit: NASA
Which astronauts walked on the Moon?
The tweleve astronauts who walked on the Moon were:
Neil Armstrong - Apollo 11 - July, 1969
Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin - Apollo 11 - July, 1969
Charles "Pete" Conrad - Apollo 12 - November, 1969
Alan Bean - Apollo 12 - November, 1969
Alan Shepard - Apollo 14 - February, 1971
Edgar Mitchell - Apollo 14 - February, 1971
David Scott - Apollo 15 - July, 1971
James Irwin - Apollo 15 - July, 1971
John Young - Apollo 16 - April, 1972
Charles Duke - Apollo 16 - April, 1972
Harrison Schmitt - Apollo 17 - December, 1972
Eugene Cernan - Apollo 17 - December, 1972
Image Credit: NASA
When was the last time people visited the Moon?
The Apollo 17 mission was the last manned mission to the Moon.. The crew included Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, and command module pilot Ronald Evans. They landed on the Moon on December 11, 1972 and left the Moon three days later on December 14, 1972. Both Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt walked on the Moon, but Eugene Cernan was the last to return to the lunar module and is the last man to have walked on the Moon. The Apollo 17 astronauts explored the Moon using the Lunar Roving Vehicle (Lunar Rover), collected rock and soil samples, and set up experiments. To the right is a picture of the Apollo 17 crew.
Image Credit: NASA
Where did the astronauts land on the Moon?
The landing sites for the six Apollo missions which landed astronauts on the Moon are shown on the image to the right. The numbers on the picture are the Apollo mission numbers. For example, 11 shows where the first astronauts landed on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission. All of the landing sites are on the side of the Moon facing Earth. Astronauts landed on this side of the Moon so that they could send radio messages and television signals back to Earth. They could not do this from the far side of the Moon.
Image Credit: NASA
When were lunar rovers used on the Moon?
Between 1969 and 1972 the astronauts who landed on the Moon were able to use lunar rovers. By driving around in the lunar rovers, astronauts were able to travel much farther and explore more of the Moon. Before the use of lunar rovers, the astronauts could only travel by foot. Lunar rovers were used during the last three Apollo missions to the Moon (Apollos 15, 16 and 17). The Soviet Union also sent two robotic rovers to the Moon (called Lunokhod 1 and 2) in 1970 and 1973. These rovers were operated by remote control from Earth.
Image Credit: NASA
How fast and far could the lunar rover travel?
The lunar rovers were designed to have enough power to travel a distance of about 40 miles and to reach speeds of up to about eleven miles per hour. The lunar rovers usually traveled at speeds up to 6 to 8 miles per hour. The Apollo 16 astronauts conducted performance tests with the lunar rover, at one time getting it up to eleven miles per hour (eighteen kilometers per hour), which still stands as the record speed for any wheeled vehicle on the Moon.
Image Credit: NASA
How many Moon rocks were brought back to Earth?
Astronauts who landed on the Moon collected 2,415 samples of Moon rocks weighing a total of 842 pounds (382 kilograms). Most of these rocks were collected during the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions. In addition, three unmanned Soviet Luna spacecraft brought 0.66 pounds (326 g) of lunar samples back to Earth.
Image Credit: NASA
When will people go back to the Moon?
NASA is planning future manned missions to the Moon and even the construction of manned lunar bases. No dates have yet been set, but NASA hopes to land astronauts back on the Moon by about 2020. To the right is an artist's concept of a small lunar outpost.
Image Credit: NASA
Can you see more stars from the Moon?
On the Moon, there is no atmosphere and no clouds to blur or block our view of the stars. The sky on the Moon is always black, even during the daytime. From the Moon, you would be able to see many more stars than you could see from Earth. You would also see the Earth in the sky, and it would appear much larger and brighter than the Moon appears to us. Earth would also go through phases, like we see the Moon do from Earth. Many astonomers think that the Moon would be a great place to have an observatory. In the image to the right, you can see the Earth rising as seen from the Moon. There are no stars visible in the image because the camera exposure used was not sensitive enough to show the stars against the bright lunar surface.
Image Credit: NASA