The Moon is the only natural satellite that the Earth has.
The Moon is the only natural satellite of our planet. According to research carried out to learn more about it, it is located at a distance of 384,400 kilometers from Earth, has a diameter of 3,476 kilometers and has a volume of 21,860,000,000 km3 .
When the concept refers to this natural satellite, it is written with an initial capital letter. On the other hand, it is written with a lowercase letter when the term refers to the natural satellites of any other planet .
The Moon takes the same amount of time to orbit around the Earth as it does to orbit our planet, so our eyes always see the same side (the other side is known as the dark side of the Moon). The satellite takes 27 days, seven hours and 43 minutes to orbit the Earth, looking at the orbit in relation to the starry background. However, if we consider the orbit around the Sun, the time is slightly longer, lasting a total of 29 days, 12 hours and 44 minutes.
Phases of the Moon
The phases of the Moon or lunar phases are the different cyclical stages that its image experiences; they are considered from the illuminated part of the satellite , as it remains visible to an observer, who may be located on Earth or elsewhere.
When the Moon is located between the Earth and the Sun and its unlit side is oriented towards our planet, we speak of a new Moon . A week later, the Moon will have completed a quarter of a revolution and will show half of its illuminated side (the first quarter phase). When another week has passed, the Moon will be in a position aligned with the Sun and the Earth, so we will see the entire illuminated side ( the full Moon ). Finally, a week later, the last quarter occurs.
The image of the Moon goes through a series of cyclical stages known as phases.
The arrival of man
In 1961, US President John F. Kennedy pledged to send a man to the Moon and return him safely before the 1970s. Following his promise, he began a series of preparations against the clock to achieve this goal, which was considered to mark the birth of a new era for technology and astronomy .
Two years later, the presentation of the Apollo mission, whose objective was to achieve the moon landing, meant breaking with the barriers of previous projects, which proposed only leaving the Earth's atmosphere . After a long period of work and research , on July 16, 1969 , three astronauts were sent aboard NASA 's Apollo 11 rocket on a trip of more than three days through space that would go down in history.
On July 20 , cosmonaut Neil Armstrong took a “giant step for mankind” by stepping off the lunar lander onto the moon’s surface. Broadcasts from Apollo 11 , which also included Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins , were watched by hundreds of millions of viewers who were thrilled to see one of the many displays of human arrogance. Between lunar exploration and recognition, the astronauts placed a commemorative plaque to immortalize this extraterrestrial achievement and left an American flag on the Moon.
Protected by his spacesuit, Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the Moon in 1969.
Doubts about the trip to the Moon
The images captured during this supposed trip to the Moon have been scrutinized more often than appreciated, trying to find a flaw, a detail that would prove its quality of being false and fabricated . It is often thought that the United States did not develop sufficient technology for this expedition , and that it was forced to fake the feat using cinematic resources.
Apart from the various attempts to prove that such a staging would have been absolutely possible at the time, the fact that the trip took place at the end of 1969 reinforces the doubts, especially considering that the promise was to carry it out before 1970. The moon landing conspiracies, however, never proved that the event was faked.
Colonization and tourism
Following Apollo 11 , five other missions landed on the Moon, bringing the total number of men to twelve who have walked on its surface.
Since 1972 , however, no other project has resulted in a trip to the Moon. Nevertheless, lunar colonization remains a human dream.
There are those who believe that the establishment of permanent human settlements on the Moon is a logical step in the expansion of our species. It should be noted that, given the distances, it is easier (within the enormous complexity of this type of initiative) to create a lunar base than permanent colonies on other planets.
Beyond the scientific plans promoted by governments, there are companies that aspire to create lunar tourism . Their intention is that, in the future, people will be able to pay to visit the Moon, just as trips are organized to any terrestrial destination.