Our planet, unlike many others, has only one natural satellite, which can be observed at night in the sky - this, of course, is the Moon. If you do not take into account the Sun, then this particular object is the brightest that can be observed from Earth.
Among the other satellites of the planets, the satellite of the planet Earth ranks fifth in size. It has no atmosphere, no lakes and rivers. Day and night replace each other here with a frequency of two weeks, while you can observe a temperature difference of three hundred degrees. And it always turns to us with only one of its sides, leaving its dark reverse side in riddles. This pale blue object in the night sky is the Moon.
The lunar surface is covered with a layer of regolith (black sand dust), which reaches different areas thicknesses from several meters to several tens of them. Moon sand regolith arises from the constant fall of meteorites and crushing in a state of vacuum, not protected by cosmic rays.
The surface of the moon is uneven with many craters of various sizes. On the Moon there are both plains and whole mountains lined up in a chain, the height of the mountains is up to 6 kilometers. there is an assumption that more than 900 million years ago there was volcanic activity on the moon, this is evidenced by the found soil particles, the formation of which could be due to eruptions.
The surface on the Moon itself is very dark, despite the fact that on a moonlit night we can clearly see the Moon in the night sky. The lunar surface reflects just over seven percent of the sun's rays. Even from the Earth, one can observe spots on its surface, which, according to an ancient erroneous judgment, have retained the name "sea".
moon and planet earth
The moon always faces planet Earth on one side. On this side, visible from the Earth, most of it is occupied by flat spaces, which are called seas. The seas on the moon occupy about sixteen percent total area and are giant craters that appeared after a collision with other cosmic bodies. The other side of the Moon, hidden from the Earth, is almost completely dotted with mountain ranges and craters from small to huge sizes.
The influence of the closest space object of the Moon to us extends to the Earth. So, a typical example serve as the ebbs and flows of the seas, which arise due to the gravitational attraction of the satellite.
Origin of the Moon
By various studies There are many differences between the Moon and the Earth, primarily in chemical composition: There is practically no water on the Moon, a relatively low content of volatile elements, a low density compared to the Earth, and a small core of iron and nickel.
Nevertheless, radiometric analysis, which determines the age of celestial objects if there are radioactive isotope, showed that the age of the Moon is the same as that of the Earth 4.5 billion years. The ratio of stable oxygen isotopes for two celestial objects is the same, despite the fact that for all the studied meteorites such ratios have strong differences. This suggests that both the Moon and the Earth in the distant past were formed from the same substance located at the same distance from the Sun in a pre-planetary cloud.
Based general age, a combination of similar properties with a strong difference between two close objects of the solar system, 3 hypotheses of the origin of the moon are put forward:
- 1. Formation of both the Earth and the Moon from the same pre-planetary cloud
- 2. Capturing by the Earth's gravity an already formed object to the Moon
- 3. The formation of the Moon as a result of a collision with the Earth of a large space object comparable in size to the planet Mars.
The study of the pale blue satellite of the Earth of the Moon has been studied since ancient times. For example, among the Greeks, Archimedes' reflections on her are especially famous. He described the Moon in detail with its characteristics and possible properties Galileo. He saw on the surface of the moon plains similar to "seas", mountains and craters. And in 1651, the Italian astronomer Giovanni Riccioli created a map of the Moon, where he painted in detail the lunar landscape of the surface visible from the Earth and introduced designations for many parts of the Moon's relief.
In the 20th century, interest in the Moon increased with the help of new technological possibilities for the study of the Earth's satellite. So February 3, 1966 on the surface of the moon for the first time made soft landing Soviet apparatus Luna-9. The next device Luna-10 became the first artificial satellite The moon, and after quite a bit of time on July 21, 1969, a man first visited the moon. There has come a series of many discoveries in the field of selenography and selenology, which were made by Soviet scientists and their American colleagues from NASA. Then, towards the end of the 20th century, interest in the Moon gradually subsided.
(Photograph of the far side of the moon, landed by the apparatus "Change-4")
On January 3, 2019, the Chinese spacecraft "Change-4" successfully landed on the surface of the far side of the moon, this side is constantly facing away from the light emitted by the Earth and invisible from the surface of the planet. First time reverse side lunar surface was photographed by the Soviet station "Luna-3" on October 27, 1959, and more than half a century later, at the beginning of 2019, the Chinese apparatus "Change-4" landed on the surface opposite from the Earth.
Colonization on the moon
Many writers and science fiction writers, along with the planet Mars, consider the Moon as an object for future human colonization. Despite the fact that this is more like a fiction, the US agency NASA seriously thought about this issue, setting the task of developing the Constellation program to resettle people on the lunar surface with the construction of a real space base on the Moon and the development of "inter-earth-lunar" space flights. However, this program was suspended by the decision of US President Barack Obama due to high funding.
Avatar robots on the moon
However, in 2011 NASA again proposed new program, this time under the name "Avatars", which required the development and manufacture of robotic avatars on Earth, which would then be delivered to the Earth's satellite, the Moon, in order to further simulate living in the lunar conditions of a person with the effect of telepresence. That is, a person will control the robot avatar from the Earth, fully dressed in a suit that will imitate his presence on the Moon as a robot avatar located in real conditions on the lunar surface.
big moon illusion
When the Moon is low above the Earth's horizon, there is an illusion that its size is larger than it really is. At the same time, the actual angular size of the Moon does not change; on the contrary, the closer it is to the horizon, the smaller the angular size is. Unfortunately, this effect is difficult to explain and rather refers to a visual perception error.
Are there seasons on the moon?
Both on Earth and on any other planet, the change of seasons occurs from the inclination of its axis of rotation, while the intensity of the change of seasons depends on the location of the plane of the planet's orbit, whether it be a satellite around the Sun.
The moon, on the other hand, has an inclination of its axis of rotation to the plane of the ecliptic of 88.5 °, almost perpendicular. Therefore, on the Moon, on the one hand, almost eternal day, on the other hand, almost eternal night. This means that the temperature also in each part of the surface of the Moon is different and practically unchanged. At the same time, there can hardly be any talk of changing the seasons on the Moon, much more from the simple absence of an atmosphere.
Why do dogs bark at the moon?
There is no unequivocal explanation for this phenomenon, but most likely, according to some scientists, the fear of the animal plays before an effect similar to a solar eclipse, from which many animals develop fear. The eyesight of dogs and wolves is very weak, and on a cloudless night they perceive the Moon as the Sun, confusing night with day. Weak Moonlight and the moon itself is perceived by them as a dim sun, and therefore, seeing the moon, they behave in the same way as during a solar eclipse, howling and barking.
Lunar capitalism
In the fairy tale novel by Nikolai Nosov "Dunno on the Moon", the Moon is a satellite, possibly of artificial origin, where inside it turns out whole city- a stronghold of the modern capitalist system. Interestingly, the children's story does not seem so much fantastic as socio-political, not losing relevance and in modern times interesting for both children and adults.
The Moon is the closest cosmic body to us, the most visible object in the night sky. It is not surprising that it is also the most studied and the only one on the surface of which a human foot has set foot. However, it cannot be said that everything is known about the Moon. She still hasn't revealed some of her secrets. Some Interesting Facts about the Moon have a generally accepted explanation, but periodically receive an alternative interpretation.
Characteristics of the night star
The moon is the only satellite of our planet. It makes one revolution around the Earth in about 27.32 days. In this case, the satellite orbit has a somewhat elongated shape. The average distance that separates us from the night star is a little less than 400 thousand kilometers. The most significant facts about the moon for children are, perhaps, the change of phases and the fact that you can fly to it. Adult amateur astronomers of all times and peoples were interested in its origin, influence on the weather of the Earth and on the fate of people.
Legends of the Moon
The satellite of the Earth is the hero of many myths. Some of them explain the appearance of the Moon in the sky, the other tells what caused the phase change. Almost all peoples, among others, honored the personification of the moon, god or goddess. In Greek mythology, it was primarily Selene, whose name was subsequently given to the science that studies the Earth's satellite (selenology).
The legends about the Moon, explaining why it is now full, then turns into a month, were often associated with tragic events in the life of the luminary. Among the Balts, the formidable thunder god Perkunas punished the Moon for betraying the beautiful Sun, cutting it into pieces. In Siberia, a myth is known about how the night star descended to Earth and was caught by an evil sorceress. The sun tried to snatch the moon from the hands of the witch, but as a result it was torn into two parts.
There were also numerous plots that explained the well-marked spots on the face of the luminary. For some peoples, this is a man exiled as a punishment, for others, a beast living on the moon.
An amazing coincidence
Many legends explain solar eclipses. Today, when listing interesting facts about the Moon, its role in this phenomenon is often omitted as well-known. Nevertheless, it is the eclipse that clearly demonstrates one curious moment: the combination of the distance from the Sun to the Moon and from the night star to the Earth and the size of the Moon seem to be specially selected. If the incarnation of the ancient Greek Selena is located a little further or closer, or if its size were different, we would either not know what a total eclipse is, or we would not be able to admire solar corona. The moon "hangs" in such a way that the daylight is periodically completely placed behind it, showing only a beautiful frame.
Moreover, the numerical values of the parameters are also surprising: the distance from the Earth to the Moon is, as already noted, about 400 thousand kilometers, and this is 400 times less than to the Sun, and the night luminary itself is also 400 times smaller than the daytime one. These facts about the moon are often used as evidence for the theory of its artificial origin.
Hypothesis
A similar opinion was expressed by Mikhail Vasin and Soviet scientists in the 1960s. They supported their theory with information that all the craters, covering the surface of the satellite in a huge number, with different areas, have approximately the same depth - no more than three kilometers. This may be due to the presence of a solid structure located under the surface of the night star.
Today, in various articles on the net, the hypothesis of artificial origin The satellite is on a list called Secret Facts About the Moon. However, the theory that assumes an “earthly beginning” is currently considered generally accepted. According to her, about 4.5 billion years ago, our planet collided with a space object similar in size to Mars. He knocked out a piece of matter, which later became a satellite. In dispute, however, not yet staged last point: the available information is not yet enough to confidently assert that everything happened in this way.
colorful
One of the American cosmonauts, for the first time looking at the Moon from the porthole of a spaceship, compared its surface with sand on a dirty beach. From the Earth, the satellite does not look so dull. Interesting facts about the moon are also related to its visible color.
Most of the time, the month is painted in ash gray, but history knows cases when the sky appeared in the sky. blue Moon. Color is associated with the appearance of an additional "filter" that prevents the passage of light rays. This is possible during extensive fires or volcanic eruptions. Large particles compared to air molecules allow light waves to scatter, along their length corresponding to blue color and its shades. Such a case was recorded in 1950, when, as a result of a fire on peat bogs over Albert (province in Canada), the Moon, painted in blue, hung.
two full moons
The expression "blue moon" has another meaning. Since the night star goes through all the phases in less than 28 days, sometimes two full moons fall in one month. The second one was called the "blue moon". The phenomenon is observed a little less than once every 2.72 years. The next one will be in July 2015: the first full moon is on the 2nd, and the blue moon is on the 31st.
bloody
The most interesting thing about the Moon and its color in the coming year can be found out by looking at the sky on April 4 and September 28. The blood moon will rise these days. The satellite acquires such an ominous shade due to the refraction of the rays of the Sun in the Earth's atmosphere. The glow of the moon, in principle, is always the reflected radiation of the daylight. The difference these days is that the full moon coincides with sunset or sunrise. Red - the same color, "dressed" in which the daylight appears before us, falling below the horizon or rising above it.
reflected twice
Another phenomenon, not uncommon, but interesting, is connected with the emitted light. Everyone has known about the Moon since childhood: it successively goes through 4 phases and only in one of them, on the full moon, you can admire the fully illuminated satellite. However, it also happens that a month hangs in the sky, and the entire disk is visible and sometimes quite clearly. This is the so-called ashen light of the moon. The phenomenon occurs either some time before the new moon, or shortly after it. The satellite, illuminated only in a small part, is nevertheless completely visible, since part sunlight first dissipates in the earth's atmosphere, then falls on the surface of the moon, and then again reflected on our planet.
According to the features of the ashy light of the satellite, forecasts are made about changes in weather conditions. The possibility of predictions exists due to the connection of an optical phenomenon with the nature of the cloudiness on that part of the Earth that is currently illuminated by the Sun. In European Russia, bright ashy light, which is the result of reflections of rays from cyclonic activity in the Atlantic, portends precipitation in about a week.
On and on
Interesting facts about the Moon are not limited to optical phenomena. Another curious point is connected with its remoteness from the Earth. The satellite is getting further and further away from our planet every year. For twelve months, the distance increases by 4 cm. The removal of the satellite is a consequence of the gravitational-tidal interaction between it and our planet. The moon, as you know, causes tides on Earth, not only on the water, but also in the crust, less noticeable in amplitude, but with a much longer wavelength. They, in turn, affect the satellite: due to some features of our planet, the tidal waves around its axis are somewhat ahead of the satellite. As a result, everything that is contained in such waves affects the movement of the satellite, attracting it and forcing it to revolve around the planet faster. This is the reason for the change in its distance from the Earth.
Bright memory
There was a time when scientists, due to lack of data, had little understanding unknown facts of that period ceased to be a secret thanks to the successful flights of spacecraft with astronauts on board. However, those studying the satellite were not always lucky. Part of the astronauts died in the process of preparing for flights. They installed a tiny monument on the Moon only 8 cm high. It is accompanied by a list of all the astronauts who gave their lives in the name of science.
Eternity
Both this monument and the traces of astronauts who walked on the surface of the Moon, as well as a photo of relatives left by one of the crew members, will remain intact on the Moon for many centuries. The satellite of our planet has no atmosphere, there is no wind and water. Nothing can lead to the rapid transformation of traces of human presence into dust.
Near future
NASA is making ambitious plans for the development of the satellite. In 2010, the Avatar project appeared, involving the creation of special robots equipped with a human telepresence function. If the project is implemented, scientists will not need to fly to the moon. To study its features, it will be enough to put on a special remote presence suit, and all the necessary manipulations will be performed by a robot delivered to the satellite.
Earth view
The moon is always turned to us with the same side. The reason for this is the synchronization of the movement of the satellite in orbit and its rotation around the Earth. One of the most memorable sights that the American astronauts saw when they stepped on the surface of the Moon was the view of the Earth. Our planet occupies a significant part of the satellite's sky. Moreover, the Earth hangs motionless, always in the same place, but one or the other side of it is visible. Over time, as a result of the same gravitational-tidal interaction, the rotation of our planet around its axis is synchronized with the movement of the Moon in orbit. The satellite will “hang”, stop moving across the sky, the Earth will “look” at it with only one side. At the same time, the distance separating the two cosmic bodies will cease to increase.
These are 10 interesting facts about the moon. The list, however, is not exhaustive. Reappeared in last years interest in the satellite will still bear fruit, and the already available facts about the Moon, partially mentioned in the article, will be replenished.
It is likely that one of them will be a base on the moon, which is planned to be created for the development of minerals, monitoring earth processes and, of course, the satellite itself.
In 1609, after the invention of the telescope, humanity was able to examine its space satellite for the first time in detail. Since then, the Moon has been the most studied cosmic body, as well as the first one that a person managed to visit.
The first thing to be dealt with is what is our satellite? The answer is unexpected: although the Moon is considered a satellite, technically it is the same full-fledged planet as the Earth. She has big sizes- 3476 kilometers across at the equator - and a mass of 7.347 × 10 22 kilograms; The moon is only slightly inferior to, the smallest planet in the solar system. All this makes it a full-fledged participant in the Moon-Earth gravitational system.
Another such tandem is also known in solar system, and Charon. Although the entire mass of our satellite is a little more than a hundredth of the mass of the Earth, the Moon does not revolve around the Earth itself - they have common center masses. And the proximity of the satellite to us gives rise to another interesting effect, tidal capture. Because of it, the Moon is always turned to the Earth with the same side.
Moreover, from the inside, the Moon is arranged as a full-fledged planet - it has a crust, a mantle and even a core, and volcanoes existed on it in the distant past. However, nothing remains of the ancient landscapes - over the course of four and a half billion years of the Moon's history, millions of tons of meteorites and asteroids fell on it, which plowed it, leaving craters. Some blows were so strong that they broke through her bark right down to her mantle. The pits from such collisions formed the lunar seas, dark spots on the Moon, which are easily distinguishable from. Moreover, they are present exclusively in visible side. Why? We will talk about this further.
Among cosmic bodies, the Moon influences the Earth the most - except, perhaps, the Sun. Lunar tides that regularly raise the water level in the world's oceans - the most obvious, but not the most strong impact satellite. So, gradually moving away from the Earth, the Moon slows down the rotation of the planet - a sunny day has grown from the original 5 to the modern 24 hours. And the satellite also serves as a natural barrier against hundreds of meteorites and asteroids, intercepting them on approach to the Earth.
And without a doubt, the Moon is a tasty object for astronomers: both amateurs and professionals. Although the distance to the Moon has been measured to within a meter using laser technology, and soil samples from it have been repeatedly brought to Earth, there is still room for discoveries. For example, scientists are hunting for lunar anomalies - mysterious flashes and auroras on the surface of the moon, not all of which have an explanation. It turns out that our satellite hides much more than what is visible on the surface - let's figure out the secrets of the moon together!
Topographic map of the moon
Characteristics of the Moon
The scientific study of the moon is over 2200 years old today. The movement of a satellite in the Earth's sky, the phases and distance from it to the Earth were described in detail by the ancient Greeks - and the internal structure of the Moon and its history are being studied to this day by spacecraft. Nevertheless, centuries of work by philosophers, and then by physicists and mathematicians, have provided very accurate data about how our Moon looks and moves, and why it is the way it is. All information about the satellite can be divided into several categories, mutually following from each other.
Orbital characteristics of the Moon
How does the moon move around the earth? If our planet were motionless, the satellite would rotate in an almost perfect circle, from time to time slightly approaching and moving away from the planet. But after all, the Earth itself around the Sun - the Moon has to constantly "catch up" with the planet. And our Earth is not the only body with which our satellite interacts. The Sun, which is 390 times farther from the Earth than the Moon, is 333,000 times more massive than the Earth. And even taking into account the inverse square law, according to which the intensity of any energy source drops sharply with distance, the Sun attracts the Moon 2.2 times stronger than the Earth!
Therefore, the final trajectory of our satellite resembles a spiral, and even a difficult one. The axis of the lunar orbit fluctuates, the Moon itself periodically approaches and moves away, and on a global scale it completely flies away from the Earth. The same oscillations lead to the fact that the visible side of the Moon is not the same hemisphere of the satellite, but its different parts, which alternately turn towards the Earth due to the "swaying" of the satellite in orbit. These movements of the Moon in longitude and latitude are called librations, and allow you to look beyond the far side of our satellite long before the first flyby of spacecraft. From east to west, the Moon rotates 7.5 degrees, and from north to south - 6.5. Therefore, from the Earth it is easy to see both poles of the Moon.
The specific orbital characteristics of the Moon are useful not only to astronomers and astronauts - for example, the supermoon is especially appreciated by photographers: the phase of the Moon in which it reaches maximum size. This is a full moon during which the moon is at perigee. Here are the main parameters of our satellite:
- The Moon's orbit is elliptical, its deviation from a perfect circle is about 0.049. Taking into account fluctuations in orbits, the minimum distance of the satellite to the Earth (perigee) is 362 thousand kilometers, and the maximum distance (apogee) is 405 thousand kilometers.
- The common center of mass of the Earth and the Moon is located 4.5 thousand kilometers from the center of the Earth.
- Sidereal month - full walkthrough The moon in its orbit - passes in 27.3 days. However, for a complete revolution around the Earth and a change in the lunar phases, it takes 2.2 days more - after all, during the time that the Moon goes in its orbit, the Earth flies by the thirteenth part of its own orbit around the Sun!
- The moon is in a tidal lock on the Earth - it rotates around its axis at the same speed as around the Earth. Because of this, the Moon is constantly turned to the Earth by the same side. This condition is typical for satellites that are very close to the planet.
- Night and day on the Moon are very long - half an Earth month.
- In those periods when the Moon comes out from behind the globe, it can be seen in the sky - the shadow of our planet gradually slides from the satellite, allowing the Sun to illuminate it, and then closes it back. Changes in the illumination of the Moon, visible from the Earth, are called her. During the new moon, the satellite is not visible in the sky, in the phase of the young moon its thin crescent appears, resembling a curl of the letter “P”, in the first quarter the moon is exactly half lit, and during the full moon it is noticeably best. Further phases - the second quarter and the old moon - occur in reverse order.
An interesting fact: since the lunar month is shorter than the calendar month, sometimes there can be two full moons in one month - the second is called the “blue moon”. It is as bright as an ordinary full - it illuminates the Earth at 0.25 lux (for example, normal lighting inside a house is 50 lux). The Earth itself illuminates the Moon 64 times stronger - as much as 16 lux. Of course, all the light is not your own, but reflected sunlight.
- The Moon's orbit is inclined to the plane of the Earth's orbit and crosses it regularly. The inclination of the satellite is constantly changing, varying between 4.5° and 5.3°. It takes more than 18 years to change the inclination of the moon.
- The moon moves around the earth at a speed of 1.02 km/s. This is much less than the speed of the Earth around the Sun - 29.7 km / s. Max speed spacecraft, achieved by the probe for the study of the Sun "Helios-B", was 66 kilometers per second.
Physical parameters of the Moon and its composition
In order to understand how big the Moon is and what it consists of, it took people a long time. Only in 1753, the scientist R. Boshkovich managed to prove that the Moon does not have a significant atmosphere, as well as liquid seas - when covered by the Moon, the stars disappear instantly, when the presence would make it possible to observe their gradual “fading”. It took another 200 years for soviet station Luna 13 in 1966 measured mechanical properties surface of the moon. And nothing was known about the far side of the Moon until 1959, when the Luna-3 apparatus failed to take its first pictures.
The crew of the Apollo 11 spacecraft brought the first samples to the surface in 1969. They also became the first people to walk on the moon - until 1972, 6 ships landed on it, and 12 astronauts landed. The reliability of these flights was often doubted - however, many points of criticism came from their ignorance in space affairs. The American flag, which, according to conspiracy theorists, “could not fly in the airless space of the Moon,” is in fact solid and static - it was specially reinforced with solid threads. This was done specifically to make beautiful pictures - the sagging canvas is not so spectacular.
Many of the distortions in colors and landforms in the reflections on the helmets of the spacesuits in which counterfeiting was sought were due to the gold plating on the UV-protective glass. Soviet cosmonauts, who watched the broadcast of the landing of the astronauts in real time, also confirmed the authenticity of what was happening. And who can deceive an expert in his field?
A complete geological and topographic maps our satellite are compiled to date. In 2009 space station LRO (eng. "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter", Lunar Orbital Probe) not only delivered the most detailed pictures of the Moon in history, but also proved the presence of a large amount of frozen water on it. He also put an end to the debate about whether there were people on the moon by filming the traces of the Apollo team from low orbit of the moon. The device was equipped with equipment from several countries of the world, including Russia.
As new space nations like China and private companies get involved in lunar exploration, new data is coming in every day. We have collected the main parameters of our satellite:
- The surface area of the moon is 37.9x10 6 square kilometers- about 0.07% of the total area of the Earth. Incredibly, this is only 20% more than the area of all human-inhabited areas on our planet!
- The average density of the Moon is 3.4 g/cm3. It is 40% less than the density of the Earth - primarily due to the fact that the satellite is deprived of many heavy elements like iron, which our planet is rich in. In addition, 2% of the mass of the Moon is accounted for by regolith - a small crumb of stone created by cosmic erosion and meteorite impacts, the density of which is lower common breed. Its thickness is separate places reaches tens of meters!
- Everyone knows that the moon is much smaller than Earth, which affects its gravity. Acceleration free fall on it is 1.63 m / s 2 - only 16.5 percent of the entire force of gravity of the Earth. The astronauts' jumps on the moon were very high, even though their spacesuits weighed 35.4 kilograms - almost like knightly armor! At the same time, they were still holding back: falling in a vacuum was quite dangerous. Below is a video of the astronaut jumping from a live broadcast.
- The lunar seas cover about 17% of the entire Moon - mainly its visible side, which is covered by them by almost a third. They are traces of impacts of especially heavy meteorites, which literally tore off its crust from the satellite. In these places, only a thin, half-kilometer layer of hardened lava - basalt - separates the surface from the Moon's mantle. Since the concentration of solids increases closer to the center of any large cosmic body, in the lunar seas more metal than anywhere else on the moon.
- The main landform of the Moon is craters and other derivatives of impacts and shock waves, which are thorasteroids. Lunar mountains and circuses were built huge and changed the structure of the surface of the moon beyond recognition. Their role was especially strong at the beginning of the history of the Moon, when it was still liquid - the falls raised whole waves of molten stone. This was also the reason for the formation of the lunar seas: the side facing the Earth was more heated due to the concentration of heavy substances in it, which is why asteroids affected it more than the cool reverse side. The reason for this uneven distribution of matter was the attraction of the Earth, especially strong at the beginning of the moon's history, when it was closer.
- In addition to craters, mountains and seas, there are caves and cracks in the moon - surviving witnesses of those times when the bowels of the moon were as hot as they were, and volcanoes acted on it. These caves often contain water ice, as are the craters at the poles, which is why they are often considered as sites for future lunar bases.
- The real color of the Moon's surface is very dark, closer to black. All over the moon come across the most different colors- from turquoise blue to almost orange. The light gray hue of the Moon from the Earth and in the pictures is due to the high illumination of the Moon by the Sun. Due to the dark color, the surface of the satellite reflects only 12% of all rays falling from our star. If the moon were brighter - and during full moons it would be as bright as day.
How was the moon formed?
The study of the minerals of the Moon and its history is one of the most difficult disciplines for scientists. The surface of the Moon is open to cosmic rays, and there is nothing to retain heat near the surface - therefore, the satellite heats up to 105 ° C during the day, and cools down to -150 ° C at night. The two-week duration of day and night increases the effect on the surface - and as a result, the minerals of the Moon change beyond recognition with time. However, we managed to find out something.
Today, the Moon is believed to be the product of a collision between a large planetary embryo, Theia, and the Earth, which occurred billions of years ago when our planet was completely molten. Part of the planet that collided with us (and it was the size of ) was absorbed - but its core, along with part of the surface matter of the Earth, was thrown into orbit by inertia, where it remained in the form of the Moon.
This proves the deficiency of iron and other metals on the Moon already mentioned above - by the time Theia pulled out a piece of terrestrial matter, most of the heavy elements of our planet were attracted by gravity inward, to the core. This collision affected further development Earth - it began to rotate faster, and its axis of rotation tilted, which made it possible to change the seasons.
Further, the Moon developed as an ordinary planet - it formed an iron core, mantle, crust, lithospheric plates and even its own atmosphere. However, the small mass and composition poor in heavy elements led to the fact that the bowels of our satellite quickly cooled, and the atmosphere evaporated from high temperature and lack magnetic field. However, some processes are still taking place inside - due to movements in the lithosphere of the Moon, moonquakes sometimes occur. They represent one of the main dangers for future colonizers of the Moon: their range reaches 5 and a half points on the Richter scale, and they last much longer than the earth's ones - there is no ocean capable of absorbing the impulse of the movement of the earth's interior.
The main chemical elements on the Moon are silicon, aluminium, calcium and magnesium. The minerals that form these elements are similar to those of the earth and are even found on our planet. However, the main difference between the minerals of the Moon is the absence of exposure to water and oxygen produced by living beings, a high proportion of meteorite impurities and traces of cosmic radiation. The ozone layer of the Earth was formed quite a long time ago, and the atmosphere burns most of the mass of falling meteorites, allowing water and gases to slowly but surely change the face of our planet.
The future of the moon
The Moon is the first cosmic body after Mars, which claims to be the first human colonization. In a sense, the Moon has already been mastered - the USSR and the USA left state regalia on the satellite, and orbital radio telescopes hide behind the far side of the Moon from the Earth, the generator of many interferences on the air. However, what awaits our satellite in the future?
The main process, which has already been mentioned more than once in the article, is the distance of the Moon due to tidal acceleration. It happens quite slowly - the satellite flies away by no more than 0.5 centimeters per year. However, something completely different is important here. Distancing itself from the Earth, the Moon slows down its rotation. Sooner or later, a moment may come when a day on Earth will last as long as a lunar month - 29–30 days.
However, the removal of the moon will have its limit. After reaching it, the Moon will begin to approach the Earth in turns - and much faster than it moved away. However, it will not succeed in completely crashing into it. For 12-20 thousand kilometers from the Earth, its Roche cavity begins - the gravitational limit at which a satellite of a planet can maintain a solid shape. Therefore, the Moon on approach will be torn into millions of small fragments. Some of them will fall to Earth, setting up a bombardment thousands of times more powerful than nuclear, and the rest will form a ring around the planet like . However, it will not be so bright - the rings of gas giants are made of ice, which is many times brighter than the dark rocks of the Moon - they will not always be visible in the sky. The Ring of the Earth will create a problem for the astronomers of the future - if, of course, by then there is someone left on the planet.
Moon colonization
However, all this will happen in billions of years. Until then, mankind considers the Moon as the first potential object for space colonization. But what exactly is meant by "exploring the moon"? Now we will look at the nearest prospects together.
Many imagine space colonization to be similar to the New Age colonization of Earth - finding valuable resources, extracting them, and then bringing them back home. However, this is not applicable to space - in the next couple of hundred years, the delivery of a kilogram of gold, even from the nearest asteroid, will be more expensive than its extraction from the most difficult and dangerous mines. Also, the Moon is unlikely to act as a “dacha sector of the Earth” in the near future - although there are large deposits of valuable resources, it will be difficult to grow food there.
But our satellite may well become a base for further space exploration in promising directions- for example, the same Mars. The main problem of astronautics today is the restrictions on the weight of spacecraft. To launch, you have to build monstrous structures that need tons of fuel - after all, you need to overcome not only the gravity of the Earth, but also the atmosphere! And if this interplanetary ship, then you need to fill it up. This seriously constrains designers, forcing them to prefer parsimony over functionality.
The moon is much better suited for the launch pad of spacecraft. The absence of an atmosphere and the low speed to overcome the Moon's gravity - 2.38 km/s versus 11.2 km/s of the Earth - make launches much easier. And the satellite's mineral deposits make it possible to save on the weight of fuel - a stone around the neck of astronautics, which occupies a significant proportion of the mass of any apparatus. If you expand production rocket fuel on the Moon, it will be possible to launch large and complex spacecraft assembled from parts brought from Earth. And assembly on the Moon will be much easier than in Earth orbit - and much more reliable.
The technologies that exist today make it possible, if not completely, then partially, to implement this project. However, any steps in this direction require risk. The huge investment will require research for the right minerals, as well as the development, delivery and testing of modules for future lunar bases. And one estimated cost of launching even the initial elements is capable of ruining an entire superpower!
Therefore, the colonization of the Moon is not so much the work of scientists and engineers as the work of people around the world to achieve such a valuable unity. For in the unity of mankind lies the true strength of the Earth.
The mistress of the night sky has always attracted human attention. Numerous signs, rituals, beliefs of people are associated with it. Many lunar mysteries have already been revealed. However, interesting facts about the Moon, which cannot be unambiguously explained by scientists, continue to excite people's minds.
- For the first time plots on the moon began to be sold by the American company The Lunar Embassy, founded by Dennis Hope, at a price of $ 20 per acre (approximately 4046 sq.m.). This American, having studied the UN Convention on Outer Space, concluded that it does not contain a single indication of a ban on the ownership of stars and planets by private individuals. In 1980 he proclaimed himself the owner of the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Io, Venus and began trading in "star" areas.
- Christopher Columbus used a total lunar eclipse during his 4th expedition to save his team from starvation. It happened in America on February 29th. The Indians of Jamaica, where travelers were forced to spend a year, eventually began to supply them with provisions worse. To intimidate the natives, on the day of the eclipse, Columbus announced to them the wrath of the gods for negligence and went to the ship's cabin "to pray for forgiveness." At the end of the eclipse, he announced that the Indians were forgiven. Food deliveries have been resumed.
- The only person buried on the moon is the famous American astronomer and geologist Eugene Shoemaker. Health problems prevented him from making interplanetary flights. After his death, his ashes in a capsule were delivered by the interplanetary research station Lunar Prospector to the Moon in 1998.
- Due to the low gravity on the Earth's satellite, fine and hard lunar dust with the smell of gunpowder can penetrate everywhere. In astronauts, it caused symptoms similar to hay fever. Penetrating into spacesuits and shoes, significantly spoiled them.
- The bloody "queen of the night" happens during a full lunar eclipse
. The Earth during this period is on the same line between the Moon and the Sun. Light waves of the red spectrum (as the longest) of sunlight, refracted in the earth's atmosphere, give the "night sun" a crimson hue.
- The night star does not have its own magnetic field. However, the stones brought by the astronauts, however, magnetic properties possess. Why such a paradox? Scientists put forward 2 theories in this regard: the magnetic field disappeared due to the movement of the iron core of the moon and its collision with meteorites.
- There are moonquakes on the moon, however, compared to Earth, they are very weak. Their maximum score was 5.5 points on the Richter scale. The causes of lunar "earthquakes" are still not clear.
- The monument "Fallen Astronaut" measuring only 8 cm (author Paul Van Heydonk) was installed on August 1, 1971. at the landing site of the Apollo 15 crew. A plaque next to it lists the names of 14 dead space explorers. Among them is Yu. Gagarin.
- The "Blue Moon" is the name given to the second full moon calendar month
. It is observed 1 time in 2.7154 years. The name of this event is determined not only by the color of the night star, but also by the translation of the English idiom "once in a Blue Moon" - "once in a blue moon". In the Russian version, this corresponds to "after rain on Thursday" (not soon or never).
- The daily temperature difference on the Moon is from -100°C to +160°C. On Earth, a record temperature drop per day occurred on January 23, 1916 in America (Montana): from +6.7 to -48.8 degrees Celsius.
- back side the earth satellite became possible to see only after October 7, 1959. On this day, the Soviet space station "Luna-3" took her first picture.
- Dark spots on the surface of the moon that can be seen from Earth with the naked eye are called seas.. They are lowlands, the bottom of which is filled with dark solidified lava. They don't have water. For the first time, a human foot set foot on the Moon on the territory of the Sea of Tranquility on July 21, 1969.
- There are many craters on the moon. The giant among them is Hertzsprung, reaching a diameter of 591 km. He is on dark side Moon, so it is not visible from Earth. On the visible side of the Moon, the largest crater belongs to the Bayi crater (287 km).
- Where is the familiar from children's fairy tales "the Far Far Away Kingdom, the Far Far Away State"? By simple calculations it turns out 3*9=27, 3*10=30. The first number is the sidereal period of the Moon's revolution around the Earth. 30 days is its synodic period (relative to the Sun).
- The moon is moving away from the earth by 4 cm per year. As a result, its orbit is not a circle, but a gradually increasing spiral.
The moon is the closest satellite to the earth heavenly body.
Radius - 1,738 km.
Age - 4.6 billion years.
The Moon makes a full revolution around the Earth in 27.3 days.
The surface of the moon is the territory of Africa and Australia combined.
The mass of the Moon is 81.53 times less than the mass of the Earth.
The average density is 3.33 g/cm (0.6 of the average density of the Earth).
The distance between the Earth and the Moon is 384,395 km (about 60 Earth radii).
The average density of the Moon is 3.34 g/cm³.
queen of the night
There are legends that call the instrument of the gods who drowned the civilization that preceded us, some sinister Demon from the Abyss, in other words, a huge cosmic body that approached the Earth in order to provoke cataclysms of a planetary scale. There are reasons to believe that this body did not disappear, it became our Moon, which, quite possibly, is not ours at all. We know surprisingly little about the Moon. No one can really imagine how it could appear in our sky in order to become a regulating element of the Earth-Moon system, nor the mechanism of its influence on us.
The moon is anomalously large, and its composition differs to such an extent from the earth's that one would just like to say - a stranger. There are a great many hypotheses explaining its origin to one degree or another, and none convincing, on the contrary. In other words, the hypothesis that calls the Moon the "Death Star", "moored" to our planet in time immemorial, sounds no worse than others.
Double planet Earth - Moon
Since we have touched on the topic of the Moon, it is worth brushing up on some details regarding the Moon. She is such a familiar part of the night sky that we often do not pay attention to her, busy current affairs: flies itself, and let it fly. Nobody seems to care. This, of course, is not entirely true, or, more precisely, not at all true.
Since ancient times, the moon has riveted the attention of man, in ancient times it was worshiped as a deity, at all times poets turned lines to it. It has long been the object of study by astronomers and acts as a key part of many esoteric teachings. The Moon owes its name to the Romans, the first astronomer who calculated the distance to the Moon in terrestrial radii is considered Aristarchus of Samos (III century BC), Plutarch was the first to inhabit it with selenite lunatics, the first to examine craters through a telescope was Galileo . Hundreds of scientists, beginning with Kant and Descartes, racked their brains over how it could appear in the sky. FROM early XVII century, with the growth of the technical capabilities of people, it was formulated a large number of theories about it, but none that could be proven.
The era of astronautics, which started in the second half of the 20th century, when samples of lunar soil were brought to Earth, gave impetus to new research. Selenology has become separate science, a man stepped on the moon, moreover, there were ambitious plans for the development and use of the moon. True, as it often happens, the more information appeared, the more open questions became than before, and the very fact of flights to the satellite is often questioned by supporters of the "lunar conspiracy" theory.
So what do we know about the moon? We know about it, at the same time, and quite a lot, and surprisingly little. The Moon revolves around the Earth in a slightly elongated elliptical orbit, the radius of which varies between 55 and 63 Earth radii. That is, between 350 and 405,000 km. The distance to the moon is not as great as it might seem at first glance. This, for example, is the mileage of a good passenger car, at which it is time to think about overhauling the engine, unless you have a Mercedes, which has an engine with a resource of a million kilometers.
In general, the distance to the Moon is large, but it cannot be compared with the distance separating our planet from, say, the Sun or even the closest planet to us - Venus. Rockets created on Earth can overcome it in just three days. Light for the same need less than two seconds.
Although the Moon rotates around its axis, it constantly faces the Earth on one side, because the Earth also rotates, only much faster, besides this, the satellite has a shifted center of gravity, like a children's toy "Roly-Vstanka". The gravitational moment that appears when moving along the orbit causes it to turn towards the Earth with a more massive part. It is curious that the same principle is now used to orient artificial satellites.
We know that there is no atmosphere on the Moon, because the sky here is always black as coal, both at night and during the day, and the shadows match it. What can not be said about the temperature, which fluctuates with an amplitude of three hundred degrees. AT daytime the sun heats the surface to +120 °C, and at night it drops to -160 °C.
The diameter of the satellite is almost 3500 km, it is only four times smaller than the earth. It is this fact that I propose to pay attention to in the first place. The Moon is abnormally large... for the Earth. Here, judge for yourself: the diameters of Titan and Triton, the satellites of Saturn and Neptune, respectively, are about 5500 km. Approximately the same size - all three satellites of Jupiter: Callisto, Ganymede and Io, their diameters are from three and a half to five thousand kilometers. The question is, what is the anomaly here, if the Moon is slightly smaller than the smallest satellite of Jupiter? The anomaly lies in the fact that Saturn, Neptune, and Jupiter are outer giant planets, not comparable in size and mass to our planet.
At inner planets with satellites is sparse. In addition to the Earth, they are only on Mars. At the same time, tiny, on a cosmic scale. The diameter of both moons of Mars is only 27 and 16 km. True, despite the size, scientists have a lot of questions for them. But now we are interested in the Moon, which, as it has just become clear, is not that too, loudly large.
The discrepancy between the sizes of the Earth and the Moon gave grounds to put forward the theory of a double planet, according to which the earth's satellite is not a satellite at all, but rather a part of the "single Earth-Moon system", as defined by Dr. William Hartman from the Institute for Planetary Research (USA). At the same time, it is the Moon that acts as the control element of the system, while the Earth (and everything that is on it, of course) is presented as a controllable element.
Moon influence
How did such an opinion appear, and was Dr. W. Hartman in a hurry, considering the Moon as the regulator of a single system? Judge for yourself. Here are some facts.
The gravitational pull of the moon causes the water to pull towards itself. In the World Ocean, two moving bulges are formed, a larger one on the side closest to the satellite and a smaller one on the opposite side. This is how ocean tides are born, this is a known fact.
The moon does full turn around the Earth in 24 hours 50 minutes, in the coastal zone of the World Ocean, water every 12 hours 25 minutes. begins to arrive, forming tidal wave. Since land makes up only 30% of the planet's surface, and the remaining 70% is covered by water, it is not difficult to imagine how great the influence of the satellite on the behavior of the atmosphere and climate formation. Under the influence of lunar gravity, by the way, the land is also deformed, it’s simply not so noticeable here. The solid surface extends towards the Moon by almost half a meter.
But that's not all. The tidal effect of the moon gravitational field experience the liquid environments of all living organisms inhabiting the Earth without exception, including ours, because the human body is 80% water. Thus, the influence of the moon affects, for example, the distribution of blood in human body. This circumstance was not a secret for the doctors of the Celestial Empire long before the Chinese emperors decided to build their own great wall to protect themselves from nomads. Ancient Chinese medical treatises directly connected the daily 2-hour activity of all 12 major organs of the human body with the gravitational influence of the satellite. It must be assumed that this consideration did not arise in vain.
Remember the theory of the icosahedral-dodecahedral structure of our planet, formulated in the early 1980s by Soviet scientists N. Goncharov, V. Makarov and V. Morozov? Scientists have made an assumption that in the center of the Earth's core there is a growing crystal, the heart of a kind of energy frame of the planet, in the rays of which the development of human civilization takes place. We talked about the energy fields that surround us from all sides, and about the fact that every object of nature, and you and I are no exception, has its own oscillation frequency, and about periodically appearing local geophysical resonances, which, quite possibly, can be provoked from the outside gravitational and energy fields of space objects.
The imposition of gravitational and magnetoelectric effects affect the liquid-crystal medium saturated with microelements. In the human body, its basis is blood, as well as intercellular and intracellular fluids. In the organ where they accumulate in the current period of time, magnetoelectric effects are also activated, causing biological activity enzymes. And as a result, it is the Moon, whether someone likes it or not, that regulates the circadian (that is, daily) periods of body activity, moreover, this is related to almost all aspects of life, from eating to sex or sleep. Moreover, the phases of the moon replacing each other during the month set the rhythm of life on Earth. The mechanisms of this phenomenon are poorly understood or not studied at all, it simply takes place.
Here are a couple of examples. It is known that many of the inhabitants of the ocean, mollusks and fish, lay their eggs only on the full moon. It is also known that as the Moon stays (grows) the juices in plants move from the roots to the tops. AT agriculture have long been noticed that the "tops" should be torn on the full moon, just during this period of time they are the most juicy. Picking herbs, apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, peaches, berries also falls on the full moon. On the contrary, in the process of the waning of the moon, the juices go to the roots, therefore, on the new moon, it is recommended to collect “roots”: potatoes, beets, turnips, carrots, etc. An example of the fact that this phenomenon directly affects people can be menstrual cycle, the average frequency of which is 28 days, fully corresponds to lunar cycle. In the end, today the nature of sleepwalking is absolutely not clear.
Another aspect. Scientists, after analyzing the statistics of natural disasters over the past 900 years, found out the most strong earthquakes fall on the full moon. There is such a close relationship between tectonic processes on the Moon and our planet, as if the Moon is not an independent celestial body, but one of the earth's continents. For example, after a devastating earthquake in Japan, an inexplicable glow was observed in one of the satellite's craters. The fact that these are not coincidences is evidenced by long-term observations of the lunar surface. Almost every cataclysm on Earth was observed there. There is no reasonable explanation for this.
Mystical influence of the moon
And, meanwhile, we have not even touched on another aspect of the influence of the moon - the mystical. Of course, it is possible to dismiss it as nonsense that the dark ancestors believed in, because they were uneducated people, did not watch TV series and various shows on TV, they had neither a radio nor a telephone, and they did not have sockets, but only candles instead of electric lamps and darkness rising from dark corners. On the other hand, the myths left by the ancestors are an integral part of universal culture, you can’t refuse it so casually, agree. That would be impolite and also stupid. So, whether our ancestors were dense or not, it should be noted right away: most of the beliefs regarding the influence of the Moon on people, no matter what continents they are created on, are gloomy.
Yes, there is another factor of lunar influence, controversial and inexplicable to this day, and, at the same time, frankly sinister. Let's pay attention to the same werewolves, mythological creatures that can turn into various animals. without exaggeration, they have terrified people for centuries, legends dedicated to them are composed on all continents. Although, they appeared under different names. The Slavs called them volkulaks (volkolaks, volkodlaks), the ancient Germans - werewolves, the Japanese - kitsune, the Africans - anioto - leopard people, the Romans and Greeks - lycanthropes. It did not change the essence of the matter - in all cases it was said about werewolves.
I repeat, we are free to laugh heartily at the superstitions that tormented our ancestors, but here's what is significant: medical experiments conducted relatively badly in America have shown that moonlight not only causes disturbing dreams, but also, if it hits directly on the face, it can cause depression and mental disorders. Don't believe after this grandmother's recipes, prescribing to hang bedroom windows with blackout curtains, on a full moon. Here is another "dispelled prejudice." Who knows if it will fade In a similar way the sinister werewolf legend itself, having moved from television screens and books, is much closer than we would like it to be. Moreover, lycanthropy is a very real disease. That's just how it is treated - it is not clear ...
Here, let's pay attention to this: for centuries, ideas that have been formed have associated werewolves with two factors: moon phases and magical practices. That gravitational and magnetoelectric lunar influence affects the microelement-saturated liquid crystal environment of all organisms inhabiting our planet, we said earlier. Such an impact exists, despite the fact that neither its mechanisms nor its limits, so to speak, have been absolutely studied by science, and now we note the following:
All 7 great world religions, Christianity and Buddhism, Zen Buddhism and Taoism, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism teach that each of us, except physical body, has soul and spirit. Schools of Eastern and Western esotericism develop and supplement these ideas, giving a person as many as seven bodies, while the densest, physical, serves as a kind of frame for the remaining six, which are called "subtle".
Approximately the same picture is drawn by Kabbalah. The universe appeared as a result of the emanation of 10 Sefirot (which some researchers interpret as measurements), three upper and seven lower, each of which had its own density. At the same time, the highest density corresponded to our material world.
Now, let's turn our eyes to the Moon and try to figure out where it came from in the first place. What are the hypotheses explaining its appearance?
How did the moon appear?
How the Moon appeared in our sky, no one can really say. With the origin of the Moon - not everything is as clean and smooth as one might imagine. There are many theories that one way or another explain its origin, they often contradict each other, each has its own weak spots, those where the evidence is, roughly speaking, far-fetched.
According to the centrifugal separation hypothesis put forward at the end of the 19th century (it is also called “daughter”), the Moon and the Earth at the beginning were one furiously rotating hot mass, the speed of which increased as it cooled and contracted. Finally, this mass shattered into two parts: a larger one and a smaller one. The titanic dent, which was formed on Earth as a result of a colossal cataclysm, later served as a bowl filled with the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
It should be noted that the "daughter" hypothesis was considered quite convincing for a long time, although it had several "Achilles' heels", the main of which was the extreme speed with which the Earth had to rotate in order for such a separation to occur - a complete revolution in approximately one hour. The angular momentum of the Earth's rotation in this case should have been 3-4 times higher than the current one, also not small. The appearance of such an angular momentum in the formed Earth does not currently find intelligible explanations.
Another hypothesis (the so-called joint accretion hypothesis, it is still in mid-eighteenth centuries formulated by Emmanuel Kant) says that the Moon was formed from dust and matter almost at the same time as the Earth, eventually becoming a natural satellite. Sometimes, such a hypothesis is called "sister". It looks quite convincing (and the Moon is the same age as the Earth), if it weren’t for the “but”: In terms of structure, the satellite is absolutely not like the Earth.
If the dimensions of the Moon as a satellite of the Earth are abnormally large, then its mass is even more surprising. Despite the fact that the lunar diameter is only 4 times less than the Earth's, it is 81 times lighter than the Earth. The Moon has an incredibly low average density. Its value is 3.34 grams per cubic centimeter, while the average density of the Earth is 5.52 grams per cubic centimeter.
Thus, the average density of the Moon is six tenths of that of the Earth. You might think that the satellite is composed of some extremely light rocks, but this is not at all the case, its surface is mainly composed of anorthositic rocks, unusually rich in titanium. The thickness of the shell covering it is on average 68 km (several times thicker than earth's crust), while heavier rocks are concentrated on the side facing our planet. From the above, the conclusion suggests itself - inside the Moon is hollow.
Much of the lunar surface is covered in regolith, a mixture of dust and rock fragments. It is curious that regolith, due to its extreme porosity, has very low thermal conductivity, this material is a wonderful insulator. On the surface of the satellite, the fierce cold changes the heat, the difference between day and night temperatures reaches 300 degrees Celsius, and at a depth of just a few meters below the surface the temperature is constant, within -30 degrees Celsius.
Below, perhaps much warmer. By the way, space objects like the Moon are an ideal vehicle. Many kilometers of basalt shell makes them invulnerable even to large asteroids, inside there is plenty of room for various equipment. And the absence of an atmosphere and weak gravity make the Moon a great place for both an observatory and a space shuttle runway.
Mankind has been thinking about this for a long time, however, the possibilities are not yet the same. America, for some reason, curtailed its program for the exploration of the moon back in the first half of the 1970s, the Union did not pull it either. The Chinese have recently threatened to implement a grandiose project to explore the moon, but so far the words remain declarations, nothing more. True, I repeat, the absence of an atmosphere makes the surface uninhabitable. Well, it doesn't matter if it's possible to live inside. In addition, for a civilization capable of equipping a base here, it will not be big problems extract the required amount of oxygen from minerals. As for the needs for water, there is more than enough of it nearby, on Earth.
