Travelling to the Moon - An Essay for School

Travelling to the moon was once considered science fiction, but now people can be sent to the moon by spaceships. Spacesuits help a lot in outer space, too:

• They have a pressurized atmosphere
• They give oxygen and remove carbon dioxide
• They keep a comfortable temperature
• They protect from micro-meteoroids and radiation
• They allow to see clearly and move easily inside the spacecraft.
• They also help communicate with other astronauts and some can even communicate with Earth!

The moon has 6 times less gravity than earth, so objects and people can float on the moon. The moon doesn't have oxygen either, so astronauts have to take air balloons with them.
In the spaceship, things are kept in safe places as to keep them in place. A 100 kg weight on earth would weigh less than 17 kg on the moon!

One of the first living things sent to the moon, Laika, was a dog sent to outer space by Russia, died after 4 hours in the spacecraft. Laika was a street dog before her sending to outer space. She was trained to sit in a spacecraft and to be used to loud noises that the spaceship's engine made. The Russians, at that time competing with America, wanted to experiment sending an animal to an orbit with earth. First the Russians claimed that Laika had lived for 3 days inside the spaceship, but 45 years later they admitted that she had survived for only 4 hours. This raised a protest on animal cruelty among the Russians.

The moon has no water of its own, so astronauts have to take their own water.

The Apollo Missions were many spacecrafts sent into outer space. In 1969, an American named Neil Armstrong, mission commander of the Apollo 11 (the third lunar landing of the Apollo Missions), took the first step on the moon. His famous words on the moon are: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." These words became famous throughout the whole world.

Sadly, Apollo 13, sent on April 11, 1970, on its way to space, burst its oxygen tank and had to return to earth. A movie was made about it called Apollo 13.

Travelling to the moon has advanced the modern science very much. Astronauts sometimes take notes when on the moon and bring them back to earth. The astronauts have to take pencils as the ink inside pens would not go down onto paper and instead go up because of the less gravity.

The view on the way to the moon is absolutely wonderful. Stars, planets, and other galaxies lay on the blackness of space. Some spaceships, in order to capture this fabulous sight, have high-tech cameras planted on them.

The moon has some steep cliffs and big craters so it can be dangerous. It's also made of rocks, just like earth.

Astronauts must train for years before they can go out into outer space or even to the moon. They need to learn how to fix the spaceship if it breaks down in space. They also must learn how to use their spacesuits.
Astronauts must have excellent eyesight. Many people train for years to become astronauts but cannot travel into space or to the moon because of their eyesight or other defects.

Astronauts are not very safe on the moon, but high-tech sensors and radios installed on the helmet or spacesuit help the operators on Earth to know whether the air pressure and temperature are comfortable for the astronaut. The operators can also sometimes change the temperature and air pressure inside the spacesuit!

Travelling to the moon has developed modern science a lot, and as Neil Armstrong said, is a giant leap for mankind.