What would happen if an asteroid hit our Moon?

Most asteroids are small and slow enough that they just hit the Moon to create a new crater. Even the largest asteroid, Ceres - with  a diameter of 975km (605 miles) wouldn't cause lasting damage. On the other hand, it would cause a spectacular explosion that would be visible from Earth! To remotely displace or break up the moon, it would take an object of roughly the same size  - which won't happen!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Science-Bites-Short-Tour-Universe-ebook/dp/B00LHOXRO4

Follow the rest of my #SummerofScience and me on Twitter @Sci_Sparks. Don’t forget to download my charity eBook, Science Bites: A Short Tour of the Universe HERE. 

#SummerofScience 

Summer of Science Day 4 - One Giant Leap for Selfies?

21st July 1969 - The Summer of '69!

Today the attention lies predominantly on the 45th anniversary of the moon landing; where 99% * of the world's TV screens were tuned into NASA TV. Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon's surface at 0256 GMT with the eyes of the world focused on him. Only 14 minutes later Buzz Aldrin stepped out onto the lunar surface, jumping across the moon's surface collecting rock samples taking advantage of the stunning view from here on Earth. 

On the other hand, Buxzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong aren't just famous for their landing on the moon. Buzz Aldrin has laid claim to the first "space selfie" in 1966 - is this where the trend comes from?

Don't forget to download my eBook, Science Bites. Follow my #SummerofScience and me on Twitter @Sci_Sparks

*According to NASA

The Far Side of the Moon

The far side of the Moon as photographed by the
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)

Due to an effect called Libration, we, on Earth can never see more than 59% of the Moon's surface, leaving the so-called "far side" never visible to humans on Earth. This was first photographed by the unmanned Soviet Luna 3 probe in 1959. It was first directly observed with human eyes by the Apollo 8 crew in 1968.

The far side of the moon is only covered by  1% of  maria (darker surfaces on the moon) compared to 31.2% on the near side of the moon. Until the late 1950's very little was known about the far side of the Moon, because of Libration. Our lack of knowledge about the far side of Moon caused so much speculation, one example of a feature that can be seen through libration is the Mare Orientale. This is a prominent impact basin which spans almost 1,000km. Until 1906 this wasn't even named as a feature on the Moon. In 1906 Julius Franz in Der Mond named this as a feature. In the 1960's the true nature of the basin was first discovered and photographed in detail by the Lunar Orbiter 4 in 1967.

As these landscapes were mostly discovered by Soviet space probes and Soviet scientists selected names for them, although this caused some controversy so the International Astronomical Union (IAU) now name lunar features. 

. 

The Latest Moon Landing

Recently, China has hit the headlines for the most recent moon landing for decades. They successfully managed to land the moon rover, called the "Jade Rabbit" on Sunday last week. The rover was named the "Jade Rabbit" after an ancient Chinese myth. Some of the youngest lava flows on the Moon are within reach of a leading US lunar scientist.

Officials in charge of the project have said that five of the eight pieces of scientific equipment on the moon currently have begun their observations. The observations could unlock key pieces of information into both the history of Earth and the Moon.

 

The Moon Landing - "One small step for man, one giant leap for human kind"

The Apollo 11 mission was the first to land humans on the moon. Neil Armstrong became the first to step onto the lunar surface on 20th July 1969. Armstrong spent about two and a half hours outside the spacecraft, Buzz Aldrin slightly less. They managed to collect 21.5 kg of lunar material for return to Earth. The third member of the mission, Micheal Collins piloted the command spacecraft alone in orbit until the pair returned to it just under a day later for the trip back to Earth. 

The spacecraft was launched by a Saturn V rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 16th July. This mission was the fifth manned mission of NASA's Apollo program. The spacecraft consisted of three parts, the command module (CM) with a cabin for the three astronauts, and the only part that was brought back to earth, the Service Module (SM). This supported the command module for things like propulsion, electrical power, oxygen and water. The last component being the Lunar Module (LM) which landed on the moon. 

After being propelled to the moon, the astronauts were separated from Saturn V and traveled towards the moon for three days until they entered the lunar orbit. Armstrong and Aldrin then moved into the Lunar Module and landed in the Sea of Tranquility. They stayed on the moon for about 21 1/2 hours. The mission ended as they landed in the Pacific Ocean on 24th July. 

US President John F Kennedy set proposed this as a goal in 1961 to the US Congress by saying: "before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth". This goal was fulfilled in a broadcast live on TV to a world-wide audience which then ended the Space Race. 

The moon that is 40% empty space

Saturn's moon Hyperion has been described by scientists as a "fluffy snowball". Saturn's moon was closely monitored by the Cassini spacecraft that flew closer to Saturn late last year. The spacecraft found that there was a high proportion of craters which has created a irregular appearance which scientists have described as a "fluffy snowball". On board the Cassini spacecraft they have different types of cameras which they used to discover a network of underground tunnels full of empty space which is what makes the Hyperion moon 40% empty space. 

Saturn's moon Hyperion is a jumble of icy rubble (Image: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute)