Lastyear,wemarked50yearssincehumansfirstwalkedonthemoon.Thatwasalongtimeago.Yet,we’restillexploringspacetoday.What’soutthere?Takea look!
AsthemoongoesaroundEarth,thesamesidealwaysfacesEarth.Thisnearsideisthepartwehavealwaysvisited.In2019,Chinalandedaspacecraftonthefarside.Itlandedinahugecrater.Aroundthecraterwererocks.Chinawillstudy them.
AviewofEarthfromthesurfaceofthe moon
Luna 9
Apollo 11
near side
Chang'e 4
far side
Mostlandingshavetakenplaceonthenearsideofthemoon.OneunmannedChinesespacecraftlandedonthefar side.
moon landings
Measuring'Marsquakes'
Themoonislarge,butit’snotaplanet.Planetsarelargeandround.Theyalsoorbit,orgoaround,thesun.Earthisaplanet.Sois Mars.
Peoplemaytraveltheresomeday.OnespacecraftistestingMarsforquakeslike earthquakes.
Thisdrawingshowsaspacecrafton Mars.
AmazingAsteroids
BeyondMarsarelotsofsmall,lumpyobjects.Theygoaroundthesun.Theseareasteroids.Longago,objectslikethesecametogether.TheybuiltrockyplanetslikeEarthand Mars.
SomeasteroidscomeclosetoEarth.AUnitedStates(U.S.)spacecraftisstudyinganasteroidcalledBennu.Later,itwillbringbacksamplesto Earth.
ThisimageshowstheBennuasteroid.ItisbiggerthantheEiffel Tower.
