
With it being the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on Earth's Moon, we dedicate most of this episode to things lunar. We discuss the Apollo missions starting with mention of Apollo 11 radio which lets you experience the mission in real-time. As well as the Apollo 11 landing, we mention the Apollo 15 feather drop, the Soviet Luna 15 spacecraft which crashed into the Moon just a few hours before Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin lifted off from the Moon's surface, and the amazing images from LRO (not released at the time of recording) showing the Apollo landing sites from lunar orbit.
Interview
Tim popped along to Sir Bernard Lovell's office at Jodrell Bank to talk about the various space missions which led to the Americans landing on the Moon in July 1969. The story starts with a simple scientific beginning with the publication of a report during the International Geophysical Year 1957.
Ask an Astronomer
Stuart puts listener questions to Tim O'Brien.
- Mark grady says: "Telescopes work best without light interference so would a telescope on the dark side of the Moon work well."
- Steven Uitti says: "Every now and then you hear how radar was used to map the surface of Titan, the pole of Mercury or the pole of the Moon. How can the Goldstone antenna, north of the Earth's equator, map the Moon's south pole?"
- Andrew Tysak asks "Is a planet's diameter is measured from the edge of its atmosphere."
- Brian Higby asks "Why hasn't the light from the early universe already passed us? In a similar vein, is the distant edge visible in all directions?"
Odds and Ends
In the Forum, Jodatheoak links to some images of noctilucent clouds on Flickr.
Show Credits
Interview: | Prof Sir Bernard Lovell and Tim O'Brien |
Ask An Astronomer: | Dr Tim O'Brien and Stuart Lowe |
Presenters: | Stuart Lowe and Neil Young |
Editors: | Stuart Lowe and Tim O'Brien |
Segment voice: | Danny Wong-McSweeney |
Website: | Stuart Lowe |
Cover art: | The Apollo 11 landing site imaged by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University |
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