Landing on the Moon�Vertically or Horizontally?*

Newton G. SpragueBall State University, Muncie, Indiana

Man in his early exploration of the earth made most of his plansbased on a two dimensional plane. That is, "he would travel south-west so many days, then straight east for two more days, etc., andeventually he would arrive at his destination." Of course, slightdeviations were made in the third dimension to avoid or make use ofmountain ranges, mountain passes, river valleys, canyons, deserts,and "bad lands."Man^s capacity for more rapid, more detailed, and greater explora-

tion came with the "flying machine" $ and, therefore, extended use ofthree dimensional space. With up-to-date National Geographic maps,,sufficient funds, good flying weather, and of course, the correct diplo-matic clearance, one could be transported within a week to any 5-milesquare area on the surface of the earth. Where will it be? Your travelagent, for a price, will be glad to arrange it. But you must know whereyou want to go, and if you want a round-trip ticket. This is where wewill be before the end of the century with reference to the illuminatedside of the moon.

Increasingly during the next few years, the newspapers will carrythe following type headlines: "Lunar Touch-Down at Messier-Picker-ing"; "Volcanic Action Reported at Aristarchus"; "Bentonite Ash-Like Material Found in Tycho Rays"; "Laser Contact Made withCrashed Spaceship Near Treisnecker"; "TV Cameras Show MareNubrium Area Near Guericki Filled with Two-Feet-in-DiameterCraters."In the future it will make a difference in whether there will be an

opportunity for a return trip if one knows the terrain. Is it a rela-tively flat plain or is it surrounded by mountains? It will determinewhether you or an astronaut land vertically, horizontally, or end overend.

Curiosity about names of places with no meaning and poor visibil-ity for direct telescopic viewing of the moon on schedules class timelead to a laboratory type lesson based on eighteen Lick ObservatoryPlates of the Moon.1 ;

Advance preparation consisted of the following:1. Mounting of purchased plates on ll/’X 14" pieces of 14-ply showcard, using

Kodak dry mounting tissue.2. Making paper positive print2 of "Key to Plate Location."

* Paper given as part of "Recent Topics in Science News," Central Association of Science and Mathematics.Teachers, Inc., at the Sheraton-Cadillac Hotel, Detroit, Michigan, on November 28, 1964.

i Sky Publishing Corporation, 49-51 Bay State Road, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138. (Cost 83.00/set)..^Ibid.

677

678 School Science and Mathematics

3. Attaching individual paper print of names and locations related to a givenplate to the individual plates.

4. Enclosing individual plates in plastic envelopes to reduce soil from handling.5. Devising a simple standard for estimating crater sizes.36. Developing a booklet of five or six questions related to each of the eighteen

plates.

The materials were used in the following ways:1. Booklet of questions to each student.2. Students worked in pairs on one plate at a time.3. Plates were rotated to a new pair of students at a predetermined interval.

(At first they need a longer interval. Later a shorter interval may be used.)4. Each pair of students have the opportunity to study all eighteen plates

during the class periods.5. Plates were displayed in a locked, well illuminated glass hall case for a

period of one week. (During this interval of time, students were observedmaking "crude’5 sketches of the various plates for their own study pur-poses.)

6. As a review prior to the final examination, a transparency of "Key to PlateLocation" was thrown on a portion of the screen and a full moon shot on theother portion. By request from the students, the more difficult to locateitems were related on the two projected images.

As to testing, the following techniques were used:1. The plate number and name and location print were covered securely with

3"X5" cards and masking tape.2. Number of question(s) and related clues were placed on the above men-

tioned 3" X5" cards.3. Marks made with a china marking pencil were used to lead the eye from the

question to the enclosed area which was to be identified.4. The plates were placed approximately three feet apart on tables in a labora-

tory. Additional astronomy related identification plates were used to bringthe number of positions up to thirty-six. Only one student was permitted ata position. At the sound of the gong each student moved forward one posi-tion.

5. Twenty-five questions in a 175-item test were based on the Lick Observa-tory Plates of the Moon.

Summary and Evaluation of this instructional aid: The describedlaboratory moon assignment has been used with three spring quarterevening classes and two summer term classes in Sc. 361-561.1, De-scriptive Astronomy.

It was new knowledge for all of them and they seemed to enjoy it.This was an accomplishment in itself considering that one groupconsisted of college physics instructors, engineers from industry, andthe complete range of public school instructors from kindergartenthrough grade twelve.

It was startling to many of them that such a large number of themountains, plains, and craters had been named. In composing thequestions for the booklet, verbal clues related to the work and con-tributions of great n^en in science and mathematics for whom certain

’ See Appendix.

Landing on the Moon 679

craters were named were brought to the attention of the non-scienceparticipants as historical incidental learning. Translation of manyforeign words was another accomplishment.The inversion and side reversal of directions on the moon when

observed with an astronomical telescope or view in most textbookprints of the moon were astonishing to most students. The height ofthe mountains and/or the depth of the craters and how these valueswere determined by shadow method were of unusual interest to themalso.The author was pleased to note that following the broadcast of the

TV films of the Ranger VII moon shot last summer, some of thestudents were excited about their ability to recognize the directionfrom an identifiable location where the rocket was going to crashbefore it happened and was announced.As science and engineering comes closer and closer to placing the

first man on the moon, more and more people are becoming interestedin the moon. Think of all those new mountains to climb, those newminerals to analyse, and those cravasses to explore�all in a spacesuit.

APPENDIX: Mimeographed material distributedas sample of booklet questions*

^’Recent Topics in Science News77

LABORATORY ASSIGNMENTBased on Lick Observatory Plates of the Moon

Sc 361-561 Descriptive Astronomy ^’Landing on the Moon?�Vertically orHorizontally55

DO NOT WRITE OR MARK ON THE MOON PLATESPlace your notes on this work sheet.

(Crater Sizes Related to Lick Observatory Plates)I. Very large�quarter coin size or larger.

II. Large�approximately the size of a nickel coin.III. Medium�half the diameter of a nickel coin.IV. Medium-small�approximately the size of the diameter or width of a

paper clip�small end.V. Small�approximately the size of the head of a straight pin.VI. Very Small�approximately the size of the point of a pin.

PLATE I(A) Locate and name two "mares.^(B) Find a crater in a mare named after a great astronomer.(C) Find a cleft or valley that seems to cut or join three large craters. Name

two of the craters which it intersects.

* Single copies of complete booklet may be obtained on request from author. Use school stationery.

680 School Science and Mathematics

PLATE II(A) Locate and name two "mares."(B) Locate two craters with two nearly parallel rays extending S of E.(C) Locate Gutenberg�a large crater with a medium-size crater breaking its

northeast crater wall.(D) Locate pear-shaped crater named after an Italian scientist who discov-

ered one type of barometer.

PLATE III(A) Locate two "mares."(B) Find two adjoining craters which resemble a "snowman" and named for

an American statesman and scientist.(C) Locate a small crater near the edge of one of "mares" which was named

after a religious reformer.(D) Locate a large crater with curved terraced walls on the interior, a medium-

small crater near center and a medium-small crater centered on rim.

HOVERCAR PROPOSED FOR RAPID TRANSITPassengers may someday be able to travel from New York to Washington in an

hour, or from Pittsburgh to Cleveland in half an hour without ever getting morethan a few feet off the ground.A hovercar, designed to carry 600 passengers at speeds of 200 to 300 miles per

hour between cities up to 500 miles apart, is a new British proposal for futurerapid intercity transit. The hovercar is a land version of the British hovercraft, theair-cushioned vehicle which has shown promise in recent tests on heavy seas. Thehovercraft will soon be used in commercial ferry service in Great Britain.A prototype of the land-based vehicle is likely to be built within the next few

years, reports A.F.A. Hassall of the British Technical Service Corporation inGreat Britain.The proposed vehicle would run on an elevated track and would be powered by

an electric motor or pusher air propellers. Looking something like a caterpillarwith windows, the vehicle would weight 140 tons and would be supported as wellas guided by air cushions. Its route between cities would be relatively straightbecause of its high speed.

Since all of the machinery would be in the rear, the "smooth and quiet opera-tion of this craft should appeal to passengers," Mr. Hassall reports.

PROCESS MAY PUT SCRAP BACK IN STEEL MILLSSteel scrap, now cluttering up many of the nation^ roadsides, may soon find its

way back into the steel mills as a result of a new copper-removing process.Junk, consisting mostly of old autos and major home applicances, has been

piling up and up across the country. Most of it accumulates because the cost ofseparating and sorting out the various materials too often exceeds the value of thescrap as a reusable raw material.With the new process, called controlled high-temperature incineration, it may

soon be possible to burn off thin coatings and attachments of copper which often"poison" the steel scrap, making it unfit as a raw material. In a recent experimentconducted by the Department of the Interiors Bureau of Mines, layers of copperwere oxidized entirely in a laboratory-scale furnace. They formed a loose, scalymaterial that fell off easily, leaving the steel free of surface contamination.Although tests so far have shown the process to be effective, the Bureau cautionedthat further study�including commercial scale testing�will be necessary toevaluate the method for efficiency and economy.