Sage-Tips

How close can you orbit the moon?

Most Lunar orbiters stay far enough up to not be affected. The closest deliberate trajectory is probably Chang’e 2 with a periapsis of 15 km (9.3 miles); other low flyers are the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter at 12 miles (20 km), and LADEE (20km x 60km, 12mi x 37 mi).

What distance did the Apollo astronauts travel to the moon?

Once attached, the Apollo 11 spacecraft separated from the Saturn V for good and the Apollo 11 astronauts began their three-day journey across the 238,000-mile expanse between the Earth and the moon.

Could you throw a baseball out of the moons orbit?

There is no air resistance on the moon to slow the ball’s travel. The faster one hits a golf ball, the farther it moves as no fluid resists it. As for making a ball leaving the moon altogether, well, a human truly couldn’t. The moon’s gravity is weaker than Earth’s, but still quite strong.

What altitude did Apollo 11 orbit the moon?

Apollo 11

Spacecraft properties
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Selenocentric
Periselene altitude	100.9 kilometers (54.5 nmi)
Aposelene altitude	122.4 kilometers (66.1 nmi)

How close can an object orbit?

The minimum distance is about 170 km. The object cannot even orbit once at that altitude because the atmospheric drag would cause it to re-enter. The lowest longer term practical altitude is 300 to 400 km, but that still requires frequent boosting to maintain orbit.

Do we have satellites orbiting the Moon?

Yes, we have many satellites orbiting the moon. The most recent satellite is the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) launched on June 18, 2009.

How far is it to the moon in miles?

The average distance between the Earth and the Moon is 384 400 km (238 855 miles).

How far can you throw a ball on the moon?

More generally, Mr. Brancazio said, consider a batted ball that rises at an angle of 40 degrees, travels 385 feet — a deep drive if not a home run — and stays aloft for five seconds on the earth. On the moon the same ball will go 890 feet and stay in the air for 21.1 seconds.

How long did it take Apollo to orbit the moon?

Altogether, Apollo 11 spent 2.5 days in lunar orbit, circling the Moon 31 times. The crew returned safely to Earth on July 24, landing in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Hawaii, after a flight of 8 days and 3 hours.

How fast is lunar orbit?

Orbital parameters (for orbit about the Earth)

	Moon
Mean orbital velocity (km/s)	1.022
Max. orbital velocity (km/s)	1.082
Min. orbital velocity (km/s)	0.970
Inclination to ecliptic (deg)	5.145

Where did Buzz Aldrin walk on the Moon?

Buzz Aldrin on the Moon. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the surface of the moon near the leg of the lunar module Eagle during the Apollo 11 mission. Mission commander Neil Armstrong took this photograph with a 70mm lunar surface camera. While astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin explored the Sea of Tranquility region of the moon,…

How many American astronauts have walked on the Moon?

Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin were the first of 12 human beings who walked on the Moon. Four of America’s moonwalkers are still alive: Aldrin (Apollo 11), David Scott (Apollo 15), Charles Duke (Apollo 16) and Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17). In all, 24 American astronauts made the trip from the Earth to the Moon between 1968 and 1972.

What is the position of the Moon at position A1?

The orbit marked A shows New Moon taking place near perigee at position a1. One anomalistic month later (orbit B), the Moon has returned to the same position relative to perigee (marked b1).

What is the distance between the Earth and the Moon?

4.1 Introduction. The Moon revolves around Earth in an elliptical orbit with a mean eccentricity of 0.0549. Thus, the Moon’s center-to-center distance from Earth varies with mean values of 363,396 km at perigee to 405,504 km at apogee.