moon computer lab work

8/14/2019 Moon Computer Lab Work

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Return to the Moon – A NewReturn to the Moon – A NewGeneration in Lunar ExplorationGeneration in Lunar Exploration

Mini-RFExploring the LunarPoles



LCROSS

Lunar CRater Observing and Sensing Satellite

NASA’s “Moon Bombing”: Crashing inNASA’s “Moon Bombing”: Crashing ina Crater…Looking for Ice!a Crater…Looking for Ice!

The LCROSS (Lunar CRaterObserving and SensingSatellite) mission sent amissile traveling at twice thespeed of a bullet to blast a

hole in the lunar surfacenear the moon's South pole.

Click for moreinfo on LCROSS

IMPACT Video

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/08/moon-bombing-video-watch_n_313945.html


http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/overview/index.html




Click the iconfor a quick lookat the Mini-RF

mission

Find out about themission team

members

The Mini-RF project will fly two radar instruments tothe moon to map the lunar poles, search for water ice,

and to demonstrate future NASA communication

technologies.

Mini-RFExploring the LunarPoles

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/Mini-RF/team/index.html

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/Mini-RF/team/index.html

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/Mini-RF/overview/index.html



The ScienceIt is theorized that theinteriors of thepermanently-shadowedcraters near the poles

are so cold that anywater molecule enteringwould be unable toescape. Mini-RF will useradar to “look” insidethese craters to search

for any ice present.These ice deposits couldbe a valuable resource toa future human outpost.



The Science

While the samples oflunar rock that werereturned by Apollowere dry, there isevidence that water ice

may exist inside impactcraters near the lunarpoles. This water icewould have beendelivered to the Moon,

over billions of years,by multiple impacts ofcomets and asteroids.



Mini-RF stands for…

MMiniature RRadio FFrequency.It represents the latest

technology, which haspermitted the constructionof a powerful scientificinstrument that is much

lighter and smaller thanpreviously flown planetaryradars. Permanent Shadows

on the moon



Quick Facts

• Mini-SAR on Chandrayaan(Synthetic Aperture Radar)– Launch: October 2008– Launch Vehicle: Polar Satellite

Launch Vehicle, India

–Launch Site: Satish DhawanSpace Centre, Sriharikota,India

– Lunar Orbit: 100 km, polar– Mission Duration: 2 years– Resolution: 150 meters

• Mini-RF on LRO (LunarReconnaissance Orbiter)

– Launch: April 2009

– Launch Vehicle: Atlas V

– Launch Site: KennedySpace Center, Florida

– Lunar Orbit: 50 km, polar

– Mission Duration: 1 year

– Resolution: 150 meters &

30 meters

June 23, 2009Chandrayaan-1: Mini-SAR has completed itsfirst polar-imaging campaign - mapping more

than 90% of both poles.



Mini-RF’s (Miniature Radio Frequency)primary mission - to createdetailed images of the moon’s

darkest areas, scan the lunarsurface for hints of water ice anddemonstrate new communication

technologies.



“The Mini-RF team has reached a

significant milestone, two payloadsnow in operation at the moon, “saysJason Crusan, program executive forthe Mini-RF program, from NASA’s

Space Operations MissionDirectorate, Washington, D.C.

“Having two very complementary instruments orbiting the moon on two different spacecraft shows how truly international the exploration of the

moon can be .”



Mini-RF sends radio pulses to the moonfrom the orbiting spacecraft and then

precisely records the radio echoesthat bounce back from the surface,along with their timing and frequency.From these data scientists can build

images of the moon that not only showthe terrain in areas they otherwise

couldn’t see, such as the permanently-shadowed areas near the lunar poles,but also contain information on the

physical nature of the terrain.



How does Imaging Radar work?

• Imaging radar works by bouncing a radar signal offthe ground, then measuring not only the strengthof the signal that comes back, but how long the

signal takes to return. It works like a flashlightthat can help us peek into the shadowed craters,near the moon’s poles, that sunlight never reaches.From this information, we can answer questionsabout the surface of the Moon.

• Learn more:http://southport.jpl.nasa.gov/desc/imagingradarv3.html http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/29feb_radar

http://southport.jpl.nasa.gov/desc/imagingradarv3.html

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/29feb_radarmoon.htm

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/29feb_radarmoon.htm

http://southport.jpl.nasa.gov/desc/imagingradarv3.html



“We’re uncovering the moon’s coldest,darkest regions, looking into craters and atother mysterious areas that never receivesunlight, yet preserve materials from the

solar system’s earliest days,” says Ben

Bussey, Mini-RF deputy principalinvestigator from the Johns HopkinsUniversity Applied Physics Laboratory(APL) in Laurel, Md. “The exploration

potential of these regions is alsosignificant, since any ice deposits we locatewould be valuable to future human lunar

explorers.”



•Impact of a projectile on the surface•Collapse of the top of a volcano creating acrater termed caldera.

Two basic methods that form craters in

nature are:

By studying all types of craters on Earth and by creatingimpact craters in experimental laboratories, geologistsconcluded that the Moon's craters are impact in origin.



• The factors affecting the appearance of impact craters and ejecta are thesize and velocity of the impactor, and the geology of the target surface.

• By recording the number, size, and extent of erosion of craters, lunargeologists can determine the ages of different surface units on the Moonand can piece together the geologic history. This technique works becauseolder surfaces are exposed to impacting meteorites for a longer period oftime than are younger surfaces.

• Impact craters are not unique to the Moon. They are found on all theterrestrial planets and on many moons of the outer planets.

• On Earth, impact craters are not as easily recognized because ofweathering and erosion. Famous impact craters on Earth are Meteor Craterin Arizona, U.S.A.; Manicouagan in Quebec, Canada; Sudbury in Ontario,Canada; Ries Crater in Germany, and Chicxulub on the Yucatan coast in

Mexico. Chicxulub is considered by most scientists as the source crater ofthe catastrophe that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs at the end ofthe Cretaceous period. An interesting fact about the Chicxulub crater isthat you cannot see it. Its circular structure is nearly a kilometer belowthe surface and was originally identified from magnetic and gravity data



Typical characteristics of a lunar impact crater arelabeled on this photograph of Aristarchus, 42 im in

diameter, located West of Mare Imbrium

Lunar Impact Crater



•Floorbowl shaped or flat, characteristically below surrounding ground level unless filledin with lava.

•Ejecta blandet of material surrounding the crater that was excavated during the impactevent. Ejecta becomes thinner away from the crater.

•Raised rim rock thrown out of the crater and deposited as a ring-shaped pile of debris at thecrater's edge during the explosion and excavation of an impact event.

•Walls characteristically steep and may have giant stairs called terraces.

•Rays bright streaks starting from a crater and extending away for great distances.

•Central uplifts mountains formed because of the huge increase and rapid decrease in pressure

during the impact event. They occur only in the center of craters that are largerthan 40 km diameter.

Crater Chatter



Why doesn't our Moon have a name?

Our Moon actually has a name. It issimply called "the Moon". UntilGalileo discovered that Jupiter hadmoons in 1610, people thought that

the Moon was the only moon thatexisted. After other moons werediscovered, they were givendifferent names so that people

would not confuse them with eachother. We call them moons becausethey orbit planets the same waythat the Moon orbits around Earth.



Click on meto find out

about Earth’sMoon

Click on usfor even

more Moon

facts!

More or less than on Earth??Be sure to try this and record

your Moon Weight!(Mrs. Lippy weighs 21.5Moon pounds!!)

“Step” on the scales tofind out!

How much would you weighon the moon?

http://www.engineeringinteract.org/resources/astroadventure/flash/concepts/moon.htm

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/time/moon/facts.htm

http://www.engineeringinteract.org/resources/astroadventure/flash/concepts/moon.htm

http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/



The Moon – check out

these surface features

Why go to the Moon??

http://lunarscience.arc.nasa.gov/kids/explore_moon

http://lunarscience.arc.nasa.gov/kids/surface_features



Click to findout moreabout me…

Galileo

http://www.gap-system.org/~history/Biographies/Galileo.html

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/galileo/?CFID=22332227&CFTOKEN=66809041

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/galileo/?CFID=22332227&CFTOKEN=66809041

http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96feb/galileo.html

http://www.gap-system.org/~history/Biographies/Galileo.html



Time to Explore

Follow the steps on

the next 3 slides toexplore from thedepths of the oceanto the edge of our

solar system…andbeyond!



Science Fact or Fiction???

•Click on the link below:http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm

•Scroll down to the multimedia viewer

•Select “Science Fact or Fiction ”

•Take the short online quiz

•Tell us your score!

http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm




Alien Safari•Click on the link below:http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm

•Scroll down to the multimedia viewer

•Select “Alien Safari ”

•Visit each of the 6 “hotspots” on the globe•Complete the necessary information and answer thequestion for each spot.





Exploring With Reevo

• Join Reevo the Alien and explore the Earth, Moon,and Sun

• You can work alone or in a group of 2 or 3

• Be sure to explore ALL of the gadgets found ateach slide – you don’t want to miss anything

• After you complete the quiz – tell us how manytotal points you scored during your exploration!

Clickon Reevo

http://www.earthsunmoon.co.uk/

moon computer lab work

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