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12 |
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Number of astronauts who have
walked on the moon. |
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842 |
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Weight (in pounds) of Moon
rocks and soil returned to Earth by the Apollo
astronauts. About 382 kg. |
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142 |
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Days it would take to get to
the moon traveling at 70 mph (113 kilometers per
hour). The moon is about 238,900 miles (384,400
km) from Earth. |
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1 |
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Number of planets in our solar
system that have liquid water on the surface.
It's Earth, in case you were wondering. |
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100,000,000 |
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Age (in years) of the Moon's
Tycho crater. That's pretty young compared to
other giant lunar craters. |
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4 |
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Number of mirrors left on the
moon by Apollo astronauts. Scientists use laser
beams to determine the exact distance between
the Moon and Earth. |
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93,000,000 |
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Average distance from the Earth
to the sun. That's 149.6 million kilometers or
what scientists call an A.U. (Astronomical Unit). |
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Earth,
our home planet, is the third planet from the Sun. It is
the fifth largest planet in our solar
system. It is the only planet we know of where life
exists. Earth has hundreds of names in many
languages. It has one moon.
In some ways, Earth is similar to Mercury, Venus and Mars. They are all hard, rocky planets. All four have meteor impact craters. Like Mars and Venus, Earth has volcanoes, mountains and valleys.
But Earth is different in very important ways. Most of our planet is covered with water. The air is made of nitrogen, oxygen and a little carbon dioxide - just right for us to breathe. Earth is home to people, plants and animals because it has both water and the right kind of atmosphere.Earth has one moon. It is the brightest and most familiar object in the night sky. In many ways, the moon is responsible for making Earth such a great home. It stabilizes our planet's wobble, which made the weather nicer.
WHAT'S IT LIKE ON THE MOON?
From the moon, Earth looks four times bigger than a full
Moon. If you looked in the right
places on the moon, you would find pieces of equipment,
American flags and even a camera left behind by astronauts.
The moon is covered with craters. Because it has no atmosphere to protect it, space rocks – some as big as mountains – have smashed into it. Tycho Crater is more than 52 miles (85 km) wide! The moon's surface is rocky and covered with dust. It looks a lot like Mercury.
The moon's weak gravity means it is easy to move around, even in a heavy spacesuit. It is impossible for people to explore the Moon without a spacesuit. There is no air. And radiation from the Sun is very dangerous.
It gets very hot and very cold on the moon. When the Sun is shining, the moon sizzles at 265°F (130°C). It can drop down to 170°F (110°C) below zero.
MOON CHALLENGE
Find five books in the library with the work "moon" in
the title. Pick one to read.
MISSIONS TO THE MOON
Featured Mission: Apollo
Six Apollo crews landed on the moon between 1969 and 1972.
Do you think more astronauts will go back?
More Missions to The Moon:
Past
Missions
Future
Missions
Source: NASA
