How did the Apollo astronauts precisely measure the rate at which the Moon was moving away from Earth?
How did the Apollo astronauts precisely measure the rate at which the Moon was moving away from Earth?
The first mission to the moon, Apollo 11, planted solar-powered seismometers. These devices detect and measure moonquakes — tremors that pass through the moon. The astronauts also left behind mirrors. When paired with lasers on Earth, the mirrors can be used to precisely measure the distance between Earth and the moon.
How did the Apollo 11 spacecraft work?
To escape from Earth, the astronauts needed the three-stage Saturn V rocket to boost their spacecraft to a velocity of more than 25,000 miles per hour. The top half of the vehicle had its own rocket engine, which was fired to lift the astronauts back into lunar orbit to rejoin the command module.
How did NASA measure the distance to the Moon?
There are two ways to measure the distance from the Earth to the Moon on your own: using a Lunar eclipse and using parallax. From these measurements, it was simple geometry that allowed Aristarchus (c. 270 BC) to determined that the Moon was round 60 Earth radii away (about 386,243 km or 240,000 miles).
Where did Apollo 11 splash down?
the Pacific Ocean
Apollo 11 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24 at 5:50 AM local time, after traveling over 950,000 miles in a little more than 8 days. The splashdown point was 920 miles southwest of Honolulu and 13 miles from USS Hornet.
When did Apollo 13 come back to earth?
April 17
The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, but the lunar landing was aborted after an oxygen tank in the service module (SM) failed two days into the mission. The crew instead looped around the Moon and returned safely to Earth on April 17.
How do space crafts work?
Gravity exerted by large bodies like planets and the Sun in the solar system will “bend” the flight of a spacecraft. If a flight is planned carefully, a spacecraft can use the gravity of planets and moons to do a swingby or be pulled into orbit. Once a spacecraft is in flight, small course corrections can be performed.