Planetary Science Institute
Altitude: the angular distance in degrees above the
horizon (0o), measured along a vertical circle to overhead (90o).
Apollo: the name of the spacecraft that brought men
to the Moon. It is also the name given
to the whole space program that involved getting us to the Moon.
Atmosphere: any gasses that surround a planetary
body. Most of the planets in our solar
system have an atmosphere and some of the moons do also.
Carbon Dioxide gas: a gas that is found in
our atmosphere. It is the gas that
plants need. It is also the most common
gas found in the atmospheres of Venus and Mars. The polar caps on Mars are mostly frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice).
Gibbous: the phase of the Moon where more than half
of the Moon appears bright.
Impact Crater: a hole formed by an object hitting a
surface. It could be a very large
object or an object as small as a grain of sand or dust.
Line Spectra: light emitted or absorbed when atoms change
energy.
Lunar Lander or Lunar Module: the portion of the
Apollo spacecraft used to land on the Moon.
When it was time to land on the Moon, one astronaut would stay in the
Apollo command module as it circled the Moon and the other two men would get
into the Lander. The two crafts would
then separate and the Lander would travel to the surface of the Moon.
Lunar Rover: a dune buggy-type vehicle designed for the
Moon used on Apollo Missions 15, 16, & 17.
Nitrogen gas: one of the gases that make up our
atmosphere. The air we breathe is
mostly Nitrogen. Oxygen is only a part
of our atmosphere; however, it is the part that our body uses. Each time we take in a breath, we have many
kinds of gases inside of us.
Remote Sensing: the act of gathering information about a
place without actual contact with the area.
Common remote sensors include cameras, telescopes, radar, and
sonar. Humans, too, have remote sensors
such as eyes and ears that let us gather distant data.
Satellite / Moon: We often think of
satellites as only the things that are man-made, but a satellite can be any
object that orbits around a larger object.
Our Moon is a satellite. “Moon”
is a proper name, but we often call the natural satellites of other planets moons
also.
Telescope: an optical instrument that helps us to see things that are too far away for us to see normally, and to magnify visual objects like the Sun and the Moon.