The Moon is the only natural satellite that the Earth has.
The Moon is the only satellite of natural origin that our planet has. According to the research carried out to learn more about it, it is located at a distance of 384,400 kilometers from the 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 a capital letter. On the other hand, it has a lowercase letter when the term refers to the natural satellites of any other planet .
The Moon takes the same amount of time to travel around itself as it does to rotate around our planet; Therefore, our eyes always see the same face (the other is known as the dark side of the Moon). The satellite takes 27 days, seven hours and 43 minutes to revolve around the Earth, analyzing the route in relation to the stellar background. On the other hand, if the rotation around the Sun is considered, the time is extended a little since it lasts a total of 29 days, 12 hours and 44 minutes.
Phases of the Moon
The phases of the Moon or lunar are the different cyclical stages that its image experiences; They are considered from the illuminated part of the satellite , as it is visible to an observer, who may be located on Earth or elsewhere.
When the Moon is located between the Earth and the Sun and points its unilluminated side towards our planet, it is called a new Moon . A week later, the Moon will have completed a quarter turn and shows half of its illuminated face (the crescent phase). When another week is completed, the Moon will occupy a position aligned with the Sun and the Earth, so we will see the entire side illuminated ( 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
American President John F. Kennedy committed in 1961 to sending a man to the Moon and ensuring that he returned safely before the arrival of the 1970s. From his promise, a series of preparations began. against the clock to achieve this objective, 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 land on the moon, meant breaking 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 that “giant step for humanity” by descending from the lunar lander onto the surface of the satellite. The Apollo 11 transmissions, where Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins also traveled, were followed by hundreds of millions of viewers who emotionally admired one of the many displays of human arrogance. Between lunar exploration and reconnaissance, 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 being to walk on the Moon in 1969.
Doubts about the trip to the Moon
The images collected on this supposed trip to the Moon have been scrutinized more times than appreciated, trying to find a flaw, a detail that would prove their quality as 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 cinematographic resources.
Outside of the various attempts to demonstrate that this staging would have been absolutely possible in its time, the fact that the trip took place towards the end of 1969 reinforces the doubts, especially considering that the promise was to carry it out before from 1970 . The moon landing conspiracies, however, never demonstrated that the milestone was simulated.
Colonization and tourism
After Apollo 11 , five other missions reached the Moon. Thus, a total of twelve men have walked on its surface.
Since 1972 , however, no other project has completed trips to the Moon. In any case, lunar colonization continues to be a human desire.
There are those who believe that the installation of permanent human settlements on the Moon is a logical step in the expansion of our species. It should be taken into account that, given the distances, it is easier (within the enormous complexity of this type of initiative) to create a lunar base than fixed colonies on other planets.
Beyond the scientific plans promoted by governments, there are companies that aspire to create lunar tourism . Its intention is that, in the future, people can pay to visit the Moon, just as trips are organized to any terrestrial destination.