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TheMoon

PeterboroughAstronomicalAssociationNoviceClass#5December6,2019BrettHardy

Formation•  Impact4.3billionyearsagoby

MarssizeplanetThea•  Moonisabout50millionyears

youngerthanEarth•  CompletelymeltedEarth•  ImpartedaveryfastspintoEarth•  ~5hourday•  +2.3millisecondspercentury

NationalGeographic

Evolution•  Moonformsinabout100years•  ~20,000kmfromEarth•  Tides8,000Xstronger•  TidalforcessynchronizedMoon’sspinandorbitalperiod•  LateHeavyBombardment4.1-3.8billionyearsagocreateslargeimpacts•  Marevolcanism3.8-1billionyearsago•  Raycraters1billionyearsagotopresent•  Tycho109millionyears

Slideshare.net

SteveMandel

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PhysicalCharacteristics•  1/4sizeofEarth•  1/6gravityofEarth•  Slightly>1%Earth’smass•  Extensivecratering•  Averagedistance284,000,000km•  27.3dayorbitandrotation•  Temperaturerange-233°to123°C•  Extremelydry•  Farsidethickercrust,fewmaria•  Lightareas–highlands•  Darkareas–maria

RussellCroman/SPL/Getty

HistoricalImportanceAncientObservatories•  ElCaracol-ObservatoryatChichénItzáTime•  EarliestCalendarsbasedon

observationsofthemoon•  Month•  Monday

Illumination•  Workandtravelatnight•  HarvestMoon

NavigationalBeaconandIndicatorofTidesCulturalSignificance•  Myth•  VisualArt:painting,photography•  Poetry•  Literature

RobShenk

EarlyExploration•  Successfullanders

HistoricalMissionsUSSR•  Luna2–1959•  Luna3–1959Firsttoimagefar

side•  Luna9–1966Firstsoftlanding•  Luna10–1966Firstsuccessful

orbiter(10-12,14,15,19,21)•  Zond5–1968Circumlunar•  Zond6–1968Circumlunar•  Zond7–1969Circumlunar•  Zond8–1970Circumlunar•  Luna16–1970samplereturn•  Luna17–1970deployedfirst

roverLunokhod1•  Lifespan322days,10.5km•  Luna20– 1972samplereturn•  Luna21–1973deployed

Lunokhod2•  Lifespan4months,42km•  Luna24–1976samplereturn•  0.3kg

Wikipedia

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HistoricalMissionsNASARanger7–1964Ranger8,9-1965LunarOrbiter1&2–1966Surveyor1–1966LunarOrbiter3,4,5-1967Surveyor3–1967Surveyor5–1967Surveyor6–1967Surveyor7–1968Apollo8–1968FirstmannedlunarorbitApollo10–1969FirstmannedlunartestofLEMApollo11–1969FirstmannedlandingApollo12–1969FirstpinpointlandingApollo14–1971Apollo15–1971Firstlunarrover$38,000,000Apollo16–1972(lunarrover)Apollo17–1972(lunarrover)

RecentMissionsIndiaChandrayaan1–2008Orbiter&MoonImpactProbeChinaChang’e1–2007OrbiterJAXAHlten–1990OrbiterKAGUYA–2007OrbiterIsraelBeresheet–2019LandercrashedSpaceIL-FirstprivatecompanylunarattemptNASAClementine–1994Orbiter(DOD)LunarProspector–1998OrbiterLCROSS–2009OrbiterGRAIL–2011OrbiterLADEE–2013OrbiterESASMART1–2003Orbiter

CurrentExplorationChineseChang’e2–2010OrbiterChang’e3–2013Lander&roverQueqiao–2018Orbiter&radiorelayforChang’e4Chang’e4–2019Lander&roverNASALunarReconnaissanceOrbiter–2009ARTEMIS-2011TwinorbiterspacecraftIndiaChandrayaan2–2019Orbiter,lander&rover(landercrashed)

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Discoveries•  Lunargeology:soilpropertiesand

chemicalcomposition•  Rocksandsoilcontainsame

isotopecontentasEarth•  Noglobalmagneticfield•  Tenuousexosphere•  Globalmagmaocean•  700millionyearspanoflava

flooding•  Enormouslunarpits•  Lunarsamplesprovidedevidence

forLateHeavyBombardment3.9billionyearsago

•  Largeimpacts–AitkenBasinprovidesevidenceforEarthextinctionevents

•  AwindowintoEarth’sformationandevolution

•  Verylittleironincore•  Retreating~3.8cm/year•  WaterIcediscoveredatnorthand

southpolesbyChandrayaan1in2008

•  Highresolutionimagingofentiresurface

USRA

FutureNASACapstone–2020CubeSatorbiterArtemisProgram–2024MannedlanderVIPER:VolatilesInvestigatingPolarExplorationRover-2022DeepSpaceGateway–Mannedorbiter&Marsstaging–20??ChinaChang’e5– 2020SamplereturnChang’e6–2024SamplereturnChang’e7–TBALunarsurveyChang’e8–TBALunarTechnologyTestMannedlander–20??JapanYaoki–2021LanderSouthKoreaPathfinder–2022OrbiterESALunarResourceLander–Mid2020’sHeracles– Mid2020’sLander&roverPrivateSectorSpaceXBlueOriginHabitation

ESA