[ MUSIC ]
>> HI, I'M SARAH NOBLE.
I STUDY THE MOON,
AND THIS IS "ASK NASA."
OUR FIRST QUESTION IS,
"WHAT IS THE MOON MADE OF?"
THE MOON IS MADE OF
MOST OF THE SAME STUFF
THAT THE EARTH IS MADE OF.
THE MOON FORMED,
UH, MANY YEARS AGO
WHEN THE EARTH WAS STILL,
SORT OF, MOLTEN,
AND IT WAS HIT BY SOMETHING
ABOUT THE SIZE OF MARS,
AND IT KICKED OFF A LOT OF
MATERIAL AND THAT MATERIAL
CAME TO FORM THE MOON.
AND SO, WE'RE MADE OF
THE SAME STUFF.
"CAN WE LIVE ON THE MOON?"
THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
WELL, THE MOON DOESN'T HAVE
AN ATMOSPHERE, SO WE'LL-
WE'LL NEED SOME TECHNOLOGY
IN ORDER TO SURVIVE THERE.
BUT THERE'S NO REASON WHY
WE CAN'T BRING
WHAT WE NEED WITH US,
AND WE'RE WORKING RIGHT NOW
WITH THE ARTEMIS PROGRAM
TO HELP US PREPARE FOR THAT
EVENTUALITY.
"IS THERE REAL WATER
"ON THE MOON?"
WE DO THINK THERE'S WATER
ON THE MOON.
WE THINK THAT THERE IS WATER
HIDDEN IN-IN PERMANENTLY
SHADOWED CRATERS
AT THE POLES OF THE MOON,
UH, WHERE SUNLIGHT ACTUALLY
CAN'T REACH DOWN IN THERE,
SO IT'S SUPER, SUPER COLD,
AND IT'S SO COLD
THAT ONCE WATER GETS THERE,
IT CAN'T ESCAPE AGAIN.
THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS
WHY ARTEMIS IS HEADED FIRST
TO THE SOUTH POLE OF THE MOON,
SO THAT WE CAN INVESTIGATE
AND FIND OUT
JUST HOW MUCH WATER IS THERE.
IT'S TIME FOR US TO GET DOWN
TO THE SURFACE.
"HOW MANY TIMES DID NASA
"GO TO THE MOON?"
WELL, WE'VE SENT SIX LANDERS
TO THE SURFACE OF THE MOON
DURING APOLLO.
THAT'S A LOT, BUT NOT ENOUGH.
WE HAVE ACTUALLY SENT A LOT
OF OTHER THINGS TO ORBIT
THE MOON, THOUGH, AND IN FACT,
RIGHT NOW WE HAVE
SEVERAL THINGS
ORBITING THE MOON,
INCLUDING THE LUNAR
RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER,
WHICH IS GIVING US A GREAT MAP
AND HELPING US PREPARE
FOR OUR NEXT LANDINGS.
>> SO, WE'RE THERE NOW?
>> ABSOLUTELY, WE'RE THERE NOW.
"HOW WAS NASA ABLE TO FILM
"THE MOON LANDINGS?"
WE BROUGHT A LOT OF CAMERAS
WITH US, AND WE WILL BRING
EVEN MORE THE NEXT TIME.
ALL RIGHT, SO WE--
THEY ACTUALLY HAD A VERY
SORT OF INGENIOUS SYSTEM
WHERE-WHERE WHEN THEY LANDED
THE MOON LANDER,
A CAMERA WOULD POP OUT
FROM THE SIDE
SO THAT IT COULD FILM
THE ACTUAL FIRST STEPS
ONTO THE MOON. WE WANT 'EM--
WE WANNA DOCUMENT EVERYTHING
AS WELL AS WE CAN,
SO, LOTS AND LOTS OF CAMERAS.
[ LAUGHS ]
>> RAPID FIRE.
HOW OLD IS THE MOON?
>> THE MOON'S ABOUT FOUR
AND A HALF BILLION YEARS OLD.
IT WAS ACTUALLY FORMED FROM-
FROM PARTS OF THE EARTH,
SO THEY'RE ABOUT THE SAME AGE.
>> DO YOU LIKE MOON PIES?
>> I DO ACTUALLY
LIKE MOON PIES.
NICE MOON PIES AND RC COLA.
>> HOW MANY CRATERS
ARE ON THE MOON?
>> OH, CAN I GET MY GLOBE?
THE MOON IS FULL OF CRATERS.
THERE ARE SO MANY CRATERS
THAT IN MANY PLACES,
EVERY TIME A NEW CRATER
COMES IN, IT OBLITERATES
AN OLD ONE.
>> OH, WOW.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE MOON SONG?
>> YOU KNOW WHAT?
I LIKE "MOON RIVER."
>> WHAT IS THE DARK SIDE
OF THE MOON?
>> THERE IS NO ACTUAL
DARK SIDE OF THE MOON.
BOTH SIDES OF THE MOON
SEE THE SAME AMOUNT
OF NIGHT AND DAY.
>> WHEN IS THE NEXT FULL MOON?
>> OH, I SHOULD KNOW THAT.
I ALWAYS KNOW THAT,
AND I DON'T.
>> I GUESS WE'LL CHECK OUR
LUNAR CALENDAR.
[ LAUGHS ]
DOES THE MOON
HAVE AN ATMOSPHERE?
>> SO, THE MOON DOESN'T REALLY
HAVE AN ATMOSPHERE.
ITS ATMOSPHERE IS SO THIN,
IT'S SOMETHING WE CALL
AN EXOSPHERE, WHICH IS
WHEN THE MOLECULES
ARE SO FAR APART,
THEY NEVER RUN INTO EACH OTHER.
>> IS THE MOON BEAUTIFUL?
>> OH, MY GOSH,
THE MOON IS SO BEAUTIFUL.
>> I HEARD YOU'RE AN ARTIST,
IS THAT RIGHT?
>> I AM.
>> WHY DID YOU PAINT
THE MOON AND MARS?
>> I FIND OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
SO BEAUTIFUL AND INSPIRING,
I JUST HAVE TO PUT MY BRUSHES
TO CANVAS, AND, YOU KNOW WHAT,
HOPEFULLY IN A FEW YEARS,
WE'LL HAVE PAINTINGS LIKE THIS
WITH PEOPLE ON THEM.
THIS ONE TOOK
A REALLY LONG TIME.
>> IS THAT CURIOSITY?
>> YES, IT WAS ONE OF THE--
ONE OF ITS SELFIES.
I AM SO EXCITED FOR GOING
TO THE MOON AND THE-THE NEW
E-- SCIENCE THAT-
THAT WE'RE GONNA SEE
AND-AND LEARN ABOUT.
I-- YES.
[ LAUGHS ]
>> DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION
FOR NASA?
SEND YOUR QUESTIONS
TO OUR EXPERTS ON TWITTER
USING #ASKNASA.