Name:________________________________________ Per:_____
Survivor On The Moon
Background Moon Knowledge
What are the basic measurements (diameter, density, etc.) of the Moon and how do they differ from the same
measurements of the Earth?
 The Moon has a diameter of 3476 km and a radius of 1738 km. Its density is 3.34 g/cm3 and the mass is 7.15 x 1022
kg. If to compare the lunar measurements with those of the Earth, the Moon is much smaller (the diameter of the
Earth is 12,756 kilometers), less dense (the density of the Earth is about 5.519 g/cm3), and its mass is about oneeightieth of the mass of the Earth. Roughly speaking, the Moon is four times smaller than the Earth and its gravity is
six times lesser.
What are other lunar physical properties, including its orbit and rotation?
 The orbit of the Moon is circular, and it spins around the Earth in the same manner as the planets spin around the Sun
(counter-clockwise direction). The Moon revolves around the Earth at roughly 2,300 miles, or 3,700 kilometers, per
hour. Also, as any other big space object, the Moon rotates on its axis. The full circle of its rotation completes about
once every 27.32 days - in other words, one lunar day lasts almost one earthy month! The distance from the Earth to
the Moon is measured at about 384,400 km and the Moon is also slowly moving away from the Earth (an annual rate
of the receding is about 3.74 cm.).
Is there any atmosphere on the surface of the Moon?
 The Moon does have some atmosphere, although it is definitely not suitable for human lungs. To be exact, the lunar
atmosphere has a mass of 10,000 kg, which is about 14 times less than that of the Earth. The lunar "air" is composed
mostly of hydrogen and helium, which come from the Solar Wind, with an addition of neon and argon, which are
derived mostly from radioactive decay. Such peculiarities and scarcity of the lunar atmosphere are responsible for
some intriguing differences between the Moon and the Earth in relation to the sound and the light. In order to spread,
both the sound and the light need a more dense atmosphere than that of the Moon. Therefore, the sounds produced on
the Moon surface cannot be heard, and the lunar sky always remains black. In addition, winds and weather cannot be
formed on the Moon due to the virtual absence of atmosphere (or water) on the lunar surface.
What is the lunar composition and how does its surface look?
 The Moon is mostly composed of a handful of elements with a fair amount of aluminum and silicate. A striking
difference between the composition of the Moon and the Earth is that the Moon lacks iron (and that means it lacks a
magnetic field as well) and contains just about 100 minerals, while the Earth includes several thousands of different
elements and iron in abundance. The lunar surface is covered by very dry dust and rocks of various forms, alternated
by the famous craters, mountains, highlands, dark dry "maria" (seas), valleys, and lava plains. Indigenous (meaning
that it formed there) water is absent on the Moon. The only water that can be found there is brought by meteoroids
and comets.
What are some of the dangers that you might encounter on the moon as an astronaut?
 The moon lacks a very dense atmosphere, and therefore, solar radiation can easily reach the moons’ surface. This
solar radiation, over time, could cause cancer in people. The lack of a dense atmosphere on the moon also means that
it is easier for asteroids to reach the surface of the moon. On Earth, most asteroids burn up in our atmosphere. These
asteroids could potentially hit a moon-walking astronaut. The temperature on the moon fluctuates greatly depending
on whether or not the astronaut is on the sunlit side or the dark side of the moon. The temperature of the moon can dip
down to -153°C (-243oF) during the night and can rise to 107°C (224oF) during the day. The moon doesn't have an
atmosphere like the Earth. The moon takes 27 days to rotate once on its axis. So any place on the surface of the Moon
experiences about 13 days of sunlight, followed by 13 days of darkness. So if you were standing on the surface of the
Moon in sunlight, the temperature would be hot enough to boil water. And then the Sun would go down, and the
temperature would drop 250 degrees Celsius (460 degrees Fahrenheit) in just a matter of moments.
Created by: Jeremy Decker (2011)
Background Questions
1. What is Earth’s diameter? _________________________________________________________________________
2. What is the moon’s diameter? ______________________________________________________________________
3. How much larger is the Earth than the moon? _________________________________________________________
4. What is the density of the Earth? ____________________________________________________________________
5. What is the density of the moon? ___________________________________________________________________
6. In what direction does the moon revolve around the Earth? _______________________________________________
7. How long does it take the moon to complete one rotation on its axis? _______________________________________
8. What is the average distance to the moon? ____________________________________________________________
9. How much farther is the moon moving away from Earth each year? ________________________________________
10. Does the moon have an atmosphere? ________________________________________________________________
11. What is the lunar “air” mostly composed of? __________________________________________________________
12. Why can’t sounds be heard on the moon? _____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
13. Why does the lunar sky always remain black? _________________________________________________________
14. Why does the moon lack any wind or weather? ________________________________________________________
15. What is the moon mainly composed of? ______________________________________________________________
16. Why doesn’t the moon have a magnetic field? _________________________________________________________
17. Is there indigenous water on the moon? ______________________________________________________________
18. How does water come to be on the moon? ____________________________________________________________
19. What are 3 major dangers to astronauts on the moon? ___________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
20. What potentially fatal “thing” can happen to astronauts because of solar radiation? ____________________________
21. Why don’t asteroids hit Earth as often as they hit the moon? ______________________________________________
22. What is the temperature of the moon during the “night-time?” ____________________________________________
23. What is the temperature of the moon during the “day-time?” ______________________________________________
24. How many days does it take for the moon to rotate once on its axis? ________________________________________
25. What does this rotation lead to in regards to number of days and nights in a row? _____________________________
Created by: Jeremy Decker (2011)
Name:________________________________________ Per:____
Survivor On The Moon
Objective:
 You are a member of a space crew originally scheduled to rendezvous with a mother ship on the lighted
surface of the Moon. Due to mechanical difficulties, however, your ship crash- landed on a lighted spot
some 320 kilometers (200 miles) from the rendezvous point. During landing, much of the equipment aboard
was damaged, and since survival depends on reaching the mother ship, the most critical items available must
be chosen for the trip.
Procedure:
1. Below are listed the 15 items left intact and undamaged after landing. Your task is to rank them in terms
of their importance to your crew in allowing them to reach the rendezvous point. Place the number 1 by
the most important item, the number 2 by the second most important, and so on, through number 15, the
least important.
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Box of matches
Food concentrate
50 meters of nylon rope
Parachute silk
Solar-powered, portable heating unit
Two .45-caliber pistols with bullets
One case of dehydrated milk
Two 50 kg-tanks of oxygen
Stellar map of Moon’s constellations
Self- inflating life raft
Magnetic compass
Fifty liters of water
Signal flares
First-aid kit including injection needles
Solar-powered fm receiver/transmitter
(Need line of sight)
2. You will now be placed in a team of 4 to 5 individuals, and you will be required to reassess your
rankings. Your team must agree on the ranking of each of the 15 items that were left undamaged.
a. You should be sure to discuss and debate each of the undamaged items and their subsequent
importance level.
3. Your group must also write down the reasoning behind each of the rankings.
4. After your group has agreed on the importance ranking of each of the undamaged items, you will
compare your rankings to NASA’s rankings. The group who is the closest to the NASA rankings will
earn 10 points of extra credit.
Rankings Table:
Item
Your
Ranking
Team
Ranking
NASA
Ranking
Your
Error
Points
Team
Error
Points
Group Reasoning As To Why
They Ranked The Item At This
Importance Level
Box of matches
Food concentrate
50 meters of nylon
rope
Parachute silk
Created by: Jeremy Decker (2011)
Solar-powered,
portable heating
unit
Two .45-caliber
pistols
One case of
dehydrated milk
Two 50 kg-tanks
of oxygen
Stellar map of
Moon’s
constellations
Self- inflating life
raft
Magnetic compass
Fifty liters of water
Signal flares
First-aid kit
including injection
needles
Solar-powered fm
receiver/transmitter
Survival Calculations/Questions:
1. To calculate individual scores, determine the error points for each item by calculating the difference
between the correct answer and your individual answer.
a. For example, NASA ranks food concentrate fourth. If you were to rank it sixth, your error points for
that item would equal 2.
1. After identifying the error points for each item, add them together to determine your total
individual score: ________________
2. Calculate the group's score by determining the error points between NASA's answers and the group's
rankings. Add the points together to determine the group's final score:__________________
3. Which score was better, the individual score, or the group score?__________________
a. Why do you think this was the case?
4. Would you rather crash on the moon by yourself, or with a group of people?____________________
a. Why?
Created by: Jeremy Decker (2011)