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2007-08-19 08:46:36 · 3 answers · asked by number_five_help 1 in Science & Mathematics Astronomy & Space

3 answers

Current moon exploration is mostly from earth observatories, mostly passive observation. Some studies are done by observing the interaction of the moon with satellites in earth orbit. In laboratories the rocks samples brought back to earth by the Apollo program are still being analyzed.
There are huge data banks of information still being analyzed and reanalyzed from different viewpoints revealing lots of unforeseen things. There are hundreds of websites explaining what is being done, try any search engine.

2007-08-19 09:40:52 · answer #1 · answered by dougger 7 · 0 0

Present exploration of the moon is being done with satellites.

NASA is concentrating on trying to find water. Water is dense, heavy, and can’t be compressed. So carrying it is expensive. We need to drink water, as do planets if we want to grow our own food and use a natural air recycling system. We can crack water to create breathable oxygen and hydrogen fuel. So finding water is critical.

Past exploration of the Moon was done first by satellites then by the Apollo Astronauts form Apollo 11-17. Thanks to efforts of people like Gene Shoemaker, the astronauts were taught some basic geology so they knew what kind of rocks to look for and collect.

The samples taken have been studied and studied by generations of scientists and loaned out to other nations so they could study them.

Telescopic observation of the moon has been done since the invention of the telescope and the moon has been well mapped. However, it is tidally locked in its orbit around the earth which means its rotation period becomes its orbital period so it only keeps one face toward the earth. It wasn’t until we got a satellite to orbit the moon that we could see the “dark side.” Called the “dark side” because it is dark to us; of course it is regularly exposed to sunlight during the moon’s new phase.

The latest lunar exploration was done in the Shackleton Crater where a NASA satellite was deliberately crashed into the moon. It was timed so that earth based telescopes could study the impact and see it superimposed over empty space. This allowed them to conduct a spectral analysis to find out the contents of the ejected material; again the purpose was to find water. As an object is burned the elements in it absorb light in a specific band of colors. This lets earth based astronomers analyze the elements and possible contents in stars and hot gases.

There is a huge amount of data to analyze, but the analysis has been going on for a long time so most of the work has been done. The latest impact really didn't find anything new. The latest theory of the origin of the moon is that it was a piece of the earth knocked off by a collision with the Earth from a Mars sized rogue planet. The moon is mostly earth material so there hasn’t been much new work done on the moon. It is a boring place that we have visited, collected rocks from and analyzed for years. The race to beat China to the moon was won in 1969. The only reason to return to the moon would be to establish a lunar base, such work would be an excellent practice for a possible Mars base.

Colonies on the Moon could be interesting, but I think it would be smarter to plan a visit to the asteroid Apothos, which is due to pass UNDER our weather satellites in the year 2036, 16 years after NASA’s projected development of the Orion spacecraft. The asteroid has been out to the Kuiper Belt so it has some new material on it and in 2036 there is a one in 35,000 chance that it could hit the Earth. I think planting a radio beacon on it would be an excellent idea. It would make tracking of it much easier and might tell us some things about the outer solar system and how Jupiter affects the orbit of Kuiper Belt objects. Who knows it might even find its course shifted onto a collision course.

2007-08-19 13:09:03 · answer #2 · answered by Dan S 7 · 0 0

At this time, there are no ongoing, long-term missions planned for a study of the moon.

2007-08-21 10:19:34 · answer #3 · answered by Carissa P 1 · 0 0

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