NEW YORK, BRONX (ORDO News) — NASA recently announced plans to establish a permanent base on the Moon, which will serve as a jumping off point for future missions to Mars. This means that walking on the Moon could become as commonplace as walking on Earth.
First of all, it should be understood that the Moon has its own characteristics that must be taken into account:
- The surface of the Moon is covered with regolith, a layer of dust and debris, making movement on it more difficult.
- The Moon has a thin atmosphere, requiring space suits to protect astronauts from radiation, low air pressure and extreme temperatures.
- The Moon’s gravity is only 17% of Earth’s, which will significantly affect movement.
The circumference of the Moon is approximately 10,921 km. This is equivalent to traversing the Earth 2.6 times, however the Moon is not a perfect sphere and its exact circumference may vary due to bulges and dips in the surface.
The first man to set foot on the Moon, Astronaut Neil Armstrong, spent 21 hours and 36 minutes on its surface, of which only 2 hours and 31 minutes were spent outside the lunar module. With each subsequent Apollo mission, the duration of the walks increased, reaching 22 hours.
The average speed of astronauts on the Moon was 2.2 km/h. This is due to low gravity, which saves energy, but at the same time spacesuits limit mobility. In 2014, NASA conducted a study in which eight participants simulated the gravity of the Moon while on a treadmill on board an airplane.
They reached speeds of 5 km/h by swinging their arms to create a downward force, partially compensating for the lack of gravity. According to these data, a person could walk around the moon in 91 days of continuous walking.
Despite the challenges posed by the lunar surface and spacesuits, astronauts can make an exciting trip around our closest neighbor in space.
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News agencies contributed to this report, edited and published by ORDO News editors.
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