9th March, 2024
CHIRANJIT MITRA
Fact: The moon is slowly spiraling away from Earth at a rate of about 3.8 centimeters per year. Tidal forces cause this.
Fact: Due to the lack of atmosphere and erosion on the moon, footprints left by astronauts could last millions of years.
Fact: We always see the same side of the moon due to tidal locking. The far side (often wrongly called "the dark side") remained a mystery until space probes revealed its true form.
Scientists have discovered water ice trapped in permanently shadowed craters near the lunar poles. This could be a valuable resource for future missions.
Fact: The moon experiences moonquakes! These are caused by tidal stresses from Earth's gravity and internal shrinking as the moon cools.
Fact: It took the Apollo 11 astronauts about 3 days to travel from the Earth to the moon.
Fact: Spacesuits worn on the moon are big and bulky because they need to protect astronauts from extreme temperatures, micrometeoroids, and radiation.
Fact: Only 12 people in history have set foot on the moon between 1969 and 1972.
Fact: Astronauts on the moon described the Earth as a beautiful "blue marble" floating in the blackness of space.
Fact: You would weigh only about one-sixth of your weight on Earth due to the moon's weaker gravity.