WEBVTT FILE 1 00:00:11.611 --> 00:00:13.847 Tomorrow morning's moon is going to be special 2 00:00:13.847 --> 00:00:16.950 because it's going to be passing into the shadow of the earth. 3 00:00:17.417 --> 00:00:19.953 If you're up early enough on Tuesday morning, you'll 4 00:00:19.953 --> 00:00:23.023 actually get treated to seeing the moon turn this reddish color. 5 00:00:23.223 --> 00:00:26.559 As the earth passes between the moon and the sun, 6 00:00:27.027 --> 00:00:29.896 effectively blocking out the sun's rays from reaching the lunar 7 00:00:29.896 --> 00:00:36.970 surface, 8 00:00:36.970 --> 00:00:40.140 the moon turns this this reddish color during an eclipse 9 00:00:40.373 --> 00:00:43.343 for the same reason that we see red sunrises and sunsets. 10 00:00:44.010 --> 00:00:47.213 Basically, Earth's atmosphere blocks out 11 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:50.350 colors from the sun in the atmosphere. 12 00:00:50.350 --> 00:00:52.685 And so the red light is all that we have left. 13 00:00:52.685 --> 00:00:55.188 That's why we have these beautiful red sunrises and sunsets. 14 00:00:55.555 --> 00:00:59.292 Well, that red light is what actually goes through the Earth's atmosphere 15 00:00:59.559 --> 00:01:00.927 and onto the lunar surface. 16 00:01:00.927 --> 00:01:02.162 So when you look up at the moon 17 00:01:02.162 --> 00:01:04.030 during a total lunar eclipse and you see it 18 00:01:04.030 --> 00:01:07.200 turning red, you're actually seeing the projection of every sunrise 19 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:11.137 and every sunset on the earth onto the lunar surface. 20 00:01:16.743 --> 00:01:17.410 NASA's Artemis 21 00:01:17.410 --> 00:01:21.247 program is this really exciting next era of lunar exploration. 22 00:01:21.714 --> 00:01:24.784 50 years ago. the Apollo 17 mission concluded 23 00:01:25.485 --> 00:01:28.621 the first era of crews exploring the lunar surface. 24 00:01:28.621 --> 00:01:29.989 And what artists will do 25 00:01:29.989 --> 00:01:33.626 is usher in a new era of humans visiting the lunar surface. 26 00:01:34.260 --> 00:01:37.497 What we hope to have happen with our Mass one after the successful 27 00:01:37.497 --> 00:01:39.032 completion of that mission 28 00:01:39.032 --> 00:01:42.302 is the establishment of a regular Kings of missions that go to the moon, 29 00:01:42.602 --> 00:01:45.672 sending astronauts to the surface of the moon for six days 30 00:01:45.672 --> 00:01:49.008 and eventually building up the capability of having astronauts live on the surface 31 00:01:49.242 --> 00:01:51.010 for extended periods of time. 32 00:01:51.010 --> 00:01:53.113 What we want to do with Artemis is really leverage 33 00:01:53.113 --> 00:01:58.151 the lessons that we learned from Apollo and usher in a new era of humans 34 00:01:58.151 --> 00:02:01.387 exploring the moon and eventually going on to explore Mars 35 00:02:09.529 --> 00:02:11.164 over the last 13 years. 36 00:02:11.164 --> 00:02:14.767 The data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has really helped us paint a 37 00:02:15.001 --> 00:02:17.770 a modern, vibrant picture of the moon. 38 00:02:18.438 --> 00:02:20.773 For me, one of the most exciting discoveries 39 00:02:20.773 --> 00:02:23.109 that we've made is the identification of craters 40 00:02:23.877 --> 00:02:25.645 that have formed on the surface of the moon. 41 00:02:25.645 --> 00:02:27.180 In the time that we've been there, 42 00:02:27.180 --> 00:02:31.851 we're actually seeing the moon change very gradually underneath our feet. 43 00:02:32.352 --> 00:02:33.486 Another really cool thing 44 00:02:33.486 --> 00:02:36.489 that we've learned from the moon actually comes from these eclipses. 45 00:02:37.290 --> 00:02:40.860 Years ago, we used to turn on one of our instruments 46 00:02:40.860 --> 00:02:42.395 that would actually measure 47 00:02:42.395 --> 00:02:45.498 the temperature change at the surface of the moon during an eclipse. 48 00:02:45.832 --> 00:02:49.736 This very special configuration the moon is going from being baked 49 00:02:49.736 --> 00:02:53.239 by the sun to the deep cold of being in the Earth's shadow. 50 00:02:53.239 --> 00:02:54.507 And that happens very rapidly. 51 00:02:54.507 --> 00:02:56.809 And when you cool the lunar surface rapidly, 52 00:02:56.809 --> 00:03:00.079 it cools down and we can measure that temperature change. 53 00:03:00.413 --> 00:03:03.917 And by doing that, we gain insights into the properties of the upper 54 00:03:03.917 --> 00:03:05.585 few centimeters of the lunar surface. 55 00:03:05.585 --> 00:03:09.956 If you've ever been on a beach a hot day, the sand can get very hot. 56 00:03:09.956 --> 00:03:13.293 But if a cloud passes over, the sand cools down very quickly. 57 00:03:13.293 --> 00:03:16.796 Well, we can measure that temperature change from orbit, and now we do that 58 00:03:16.796 --> 00:03:20.099 from the Earth to understand the properties of the surface of the moon 59 00:03:20.099 --> 00:03:24.137 really taking advantage of these special eclipses. 60 00:03:29.142 --> 00:03:29.475 We want 61 00:03:29.475 --> 00:03:32.512 to send astronauts back to the surface of the moon, really to help 62 00:03:32.512 --> 00:03:35.515 understand the history of the earth 63 00:03:35.515 --> 00:03:38.151 and moon system, the context for 64 00:03:39.352 --> 00:03:42.488 our very own planet in our corner of the solar system. 65 00:03:42.889 --> 00:03:46.559 When we send astronauts on the moon, they're not only collecting samples 66 00:03:46.893 --> 00:03:48.661 that revealed the lunar history. 67 00:03:48.661 --> 00:03:51.531 They also are telling us something about the history of our own planet 68 00:03:51.864 --> 00:03:53.032 here on Earth. 69 00:03:53.032 --> 00:03:55.034 And so you know, the moon offers us 70 00:03:55.034 --> 00:03:58.504 this really unique window into the rest of the solar system. 71 00:03:59.138 --> 00:04:01.941 The processes that are recorded on the surface of the moon happen 72 00:04:01.941 --> 00:04:05.311 on every other object impact craters interacting 73 00:04:05.311 --> 00:04:08.281 with radiation from the sun, from space. 74 00:04:08.648 --> 00:04:11.284 So when we learn about the moon, we can apply that understanding 75 00:04:11.284 --> 00:04:17.090 to every object, whether it's Mercury or Pluto or comets or asteroids or even Mars. 76 00:04:17.390 --> 00:04:20.693 And so what the moon affords us this opportunity to do is really begin 77 00:04:20.693 --> 00:04:25.198 to better understand how planets work, how planets evolve over time, 78 00:04:25.465 --> 00:04:29.535 and how they interact with the universe around us. 79 00:04:34.741 --> 00:04:35.842 So my first 80 00:04:35.842 --> 00:04:38.611 advice for anybody who wants to learn more is to go visit Moon 81 00:04:38.611 --> 00:04:42.415 Dot asked of a website that has a wealth of information 82 00:04:42.415 --> 00:04:45.551 that can talk more about future exploration plans to help 83 00:04:45.551 --> 00:04:49.255 you learn about the moon and help you prepare for the eclipse tomorrow morning. 84 00:04:55.194 --> 00:04:59.432 One of the fascinating things about the moon is that it has this 85 00:04:59.832 --> 00:05:04.170 almost pristine record of the entirety of solar system history. 86 00:05:04.771 --> 00:05:08.975 We see impact craters that are on the moon that are over 4 billion years old. 87 00:05:09.542 --> 00:05:12.545 We also see impact craters that are formed within the last few years. 88 00:05:12.979 --> 00:05:17.250 And so this entire history of our solar system is recorded 89 00:05:17.583 --> 00:05:18.785 in the surface of the moon. 90 00:05:18.785 --> 00:05:22.922 And so depending on where we go on the moon, we can understand 91 00:05:22.922 --> 00:05:26.225 more about the earliest history of the solar system or indeed 92 00:05:26.526 --> 00:05:28.895 what's happening today with our atmosphere. 93 00:05:28.895 --> 00:05:30.563 You want to go explore the little lunar South 94 00:05:30.563 --> 00:05:34.167 Pole, an area we know that is not only very, very cold, 95 00:05:34.500 --> 00:05:39.138 but also may harbor volatiles, water and other resources that we might use 96 00:05:39.405 --> 00:05:42.375 to further sustain human exploration throughout the solar system. 97 00:05:42.842 --> 00:05:48.247 And so this record of volatiles, of impacts of volcanism 98 00:05:48.981 --> 00:05:51.918 is uniquely recorded on the moon, on Mars. 99 00:05:51.918 --> 00:05:54.721 Those records get erased relatively quickly 100 00:05:55.021 --> 00:05:57.590 because of the atmosphere at Mars. 101 00:05:57.824 --> 00:05:59.425 On the moon, we have no such atmosphere. 102 00:05:59.425 --> 00:06:04.564 And so that record remains largely pristine for for millions of years. 103 00:06:04.797 --> 00:06:07.934 And so what we can do is, is use that record and begin 104 00:06:07.934 --> 00:06:10.503 to understand the importance of impact craters. 105 00:06:10.970 --> 00:06:12.004 When they form on the moon. 106 00:06:12.004 --> 00:06:13.539 They tell us something about the process 107 00:06:13.539 --> 00:06:16.743 that happens across the solar system and indeed in other solar systems. 108 00:06:17.210 --> 00:06:17.744 So really, 109 00:06:17.744 --> 00:06:22.348 it's about applying the understanding we have about geology from the Earth 110 00:06:22.348 --> 00:06:26.753 and the moon and extending that out across the rest of the solar system. 111 00:06:32.592 --> 00:06:32.925 The Lunar 112 00:06:32.925 --> 00:06:36.629 Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission, which has now been at the moon for over 13 113 00:06:36.629 --> 00:06:41.467 years, has really revealed a an amazing object. 114 00:06:41.701 --> 00:06:45.471 We've done this through the collection of incredibly high resolution 115 00:06:45.605 --> 00:06:49.242 data, data that tells us about the dynamics of the moon. 116 00:06:50.009 --> 00:06:52.345 You know, it's not just enough to map the moon once, but 117 00:06:52.345 --> 00:06:55.214 by mapping the moon effectively every month 118 00:06:55.415 --> 00:06:58.017 since June of 2009, 119 00:06:58.317 --> 00:07:01.921 we're able to see the moon change the moon 120 00:07:03.456 --> 00:07:05.425 in its current state and how that state 121 00:07:05.425 --> 00:07:08.094 evolves on a human timescale. 122 00:07:08.461 --> 00:07:12.064 But we're also able to identify the places that we want to send future 123 00:07:12.331 --> 00:07:13.900 human and robotic explorers. 124 00:07:13.900 --> 00:07:16.335 And by doing that, we're in a much better position 125 00:07:16.702 --> 00:07:20.072 to explore the moon and ask questions of the moon. 126 00:07:20.072 --> 00:07:24.777 When we go with a robotic lander or with a crew of astronauts 127 00:07:32.051 --> 00:07:33.186 to prepare for an eclipse. 128 00:07:33.186 --> 00:07:36.055 What we do for the spacecraft is several things. 129 00:07:36.055 --> 00:07:40.560 We know that the spacecraft under normal operations sees the sunlight for 130 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:44.430 about half of its orbit around the moon, half of the orbits around the moon. 131 00:07:44.630 --> 00:07:46.566 It's in darkness during eclipse. 132 00:07:46.566 --> 00:07:48.734 We're in darkness for an extended period of time. 133 00:07:49.268 --> 00:07:52.405 Now, the battery on LRO is charged by solar power. 134 00:07:52.405 --> 00:07:54.807 And so when we lose that solar power during an eclipse, 135 00:07:55.208 --> 00:07:58.678 what we have to do is really turn off as much of the spacecraft as possible, 136 00:07:58.678 --> 00:08:02.181 go into a very low power mode so that we don't drain the battery. 137 00:08:02.582 --> 00:08:04.684 We also heat the spacecraft up. 138 00:08:04.684 --> 00:08:07.119 During eclipse, we lose that warmth of the sun. 139 00:08:07.453 --> 00:08:10.890 So we warm the spacecraft up beforehand so that it can grab 140 00:08:10.990 --> 00:08:13.960 really cool as we go through go through the eclipse. 141 00:08:14.460 --> 00:08:17.864 By doing those two things, we put the spacecraft in its best shape, 142 00:08:17.864 --> 00:08:21.801 best position to get through the eclipse with with flying colors.