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From the Earth to the Moon (April 15, 2005, One)

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Program Summary

Jules Verne could say, “I told you so!” Ira’s guests discuss two projects that could have been lifted straight from the scifi master’s adventures – a station on the moon and a stab at getting close to the center of the Earth.

President Bush is determined to establish a working base on the moon as a jumping off point for further space exploration and a possible manned trip to Mars. Now NASA scientists think they may have found just the spot for such a base – the moon’s north pole. The moon’s axis tilt is slight compared to Earth’s, making for very minor seasonal changes; the sun never sets at the pole, so the temperature is a fairly constant -50 degrees centigrade (just a day at the beach!), and the constant sunlight could be an endless source of energy. What about water? Some scientists believe that there is water-based ice at the top of the moon which could be melted for human use.

Back on our planet, the deepest undersea hole ever dug has recently been completed by scientists wanting to learn more about Earth’s composition, history, and climactic changes. Drilling in a thin section of crust at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, they were attempting to break through to the mantle, the softer, warmer layer that lies below the crust, or at least get darn close. Unfortunately, they missed, but they’re still excited by the rocks and other material brought up in the longest drilling effort yet (about 1,400 kilometers), and the project is funded through 2013. Jules would be tickled pink.

Guests

Ben Bussey, Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University in Laurel, Maryland

Jay Miller, expedition project manager, expedition 305, of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program at Texas A & M University in
College Station, Texas

Related Links and Resources

Nature, April 2005: Moon Images Reveal Bright Spots for Lunar Base
NewScientist.com, April 13, 2005: Sunny Spot Picked Out for Future Lunar Base
Space.com, April 13, 2005: Perfect Spot Found for Moon Base

Eurekalert.org, April 6, 2005: Scientists Aboard Drilling Vessel Recover Rocks from Earth's Crust Far Below Seacrust
Integrated Ocean Drilling Program
MSNBC.com, April 7, 2005: Scientists Digging to Bottom of Earth
Ocean Drilling Program: Science Operator

For Discussion:

• Where is the possible moon base spot located? Why do scientists think this location is feasible?
• What is the degree of Earth’s tilt? What is the moon’s tilt? How does this difference affect temperature and seasons?
• What can be done about supplying the base with water?
• What are the different layers that make up Earth?
• What were scientists hoping to do when they drilled into the ocean floor?
• What is the “moho”?
• What do you think would happen if a hole ever made it to the mantle?

Activities

Oh, my darlin’, oh, my darlin’.... Clementine was the name of a NASA craft launched in 1994 that orbited and took photos of the moon, revealing the sites for a possible moon base. Follow the links for photographs, info on her experiments, and more about the mission itself. At NASA’s The Moon homepage, you’ll find lots more links that describe other lunar missions, including future ones.

Lunacy. En Route to Mars, The Moon (Science@NASA) explains the rationale for establishing a lunar base for the trip to Mars and the similarities between the two orbs, such as dust and the potential existence of water. Spacing Out, a New York Times Learning Network Lesson Plan, has students role-play NASA scientists to consider the problems and possibilities of supporting human life on other planets.

Wet your whistle. One thing’s for sure, we must have water. But is there any on the moon? Some scientists are convinced there is, others pooh-pooh the idea. Ice on the Moon and Moon Water (NASA) present a strong argument for it, but a Cornell University professor claims that the Moon shows no evidence of ice. Assuming that there is, have students devise ways in which the ice could be melted for use as water.

A fountain of knowledge. There might not be any water on the moon, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any Moon Fountains, which are actually electrostatically charged clouds of dust that hang on the moon’s horizon.

This is a drill. Sail with the crew of the ocean drilling ship Resolution by reading the journal of a teacher who participated in expedition 301 in the Pacific. The Expedition 305 Photo Gallery illustrates the project in which Ira’s guest participated.

Have your cake and eat it, too. Layer Cake Geology uses cake and icing to illustrate basic principles of geology and show students how to do core sampling. More about core sampling and its importance in studying climate change can be found at the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Ice Core Laboratory

More than one way to dig a hole. Deep Thoughts, a lesson plan from the New York Times Learning Network, explores a novel way of examining Earth’s underpinnings – blast a hole and line it with liquid iron. Just a thought...

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

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