Moon Landings (P.150)

Only three and a half years passed between the first moon landing in 1969 and the sixth and last moon landing in 1972. But while the first landing was an enormous achievement in itself, the last landing contributed far more to the advancement of scientific knowledge. On the first mission, the two astronauts were on the Moon for only a few hours and remained close to the landing site. Their time on the Moon was just sufficient to conduct several experiments and collect a small sample of lunar rocks. On the last mission, however, the three men (one of whom was a geologist) spent much more time on the lunar surface—three periods of about seven hours. With their special moon vehicle, they could travel much further from the landing site to investigate more of the lunar environment and collect a wider range of soil and rock samples.

The Apollo moon landings, may not have led to any great discovery—such as evidence 1 of life on the Moon—but it did have a significant impact on scientific and technological development in the twentieth century. One field that was undoubtedly affected by the moon landings was computer research. NASA, the U.S. space agency, did not invent the integrated circuit 2 (the basis of the computer), but it was the largest single consumer' of integrated circuits in the early 1960s. Working for the space program undoubtedly motivated computer engineers, pushing them toward the development of today's personal computer. Another, related technological development that could be attributed at least in part to the Apollo program was the invention of the Internet. In this case, too, the moon landings served as an indirect motivation for scientists and engineers in their search for ways to communicate from computers in spacecraft to computers on Earth.

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In planning for future lunar missions, scientists are faced with one serious limitation to human exploration on the Moon, and that is the lack of water. The availability of water would make an enormous difference for humans working on the Moon for any length of time. The search for water, then, remains a high priority for space scientists. One technique that they have used is to send rockets crashing into the lunar surface. The crash creates a cloud of vapor' and dust that scientists can collect and analyze for evidence of water. Several rockets have already been sent to the Moon, but so far the results have not been conclusive. Another larger and heavier rocket, which will be sent to the moon in 2009, will have a greater impact and may produce different results. With the data from this larger rocket blast, scientists hope to establish conclusively the presence or absence of water on the Moon.

Lunar craters make travel on the Moon's surface a challenge for astronauts or robotic rovers. The surface of the Moon is marked by millions of the deep depressions or holes which are visible from the earth with just the naked eye. The craters are generally circular, range in size from a few feet to many hundreds of kilometers across, and can be surrounded by sharp mountainous peaks. They have been created by the impact of various objects—asteroids, comets, or meteorites. Since the Moon has no atmosphere to protect it from potentially dangerous objects in space, it is exposed to anything that may be in its path. The fact that there is no atmosphere on the Moon, and so no wind or rain, also means that the craters remain unchanged unless another object lands in the same spot.

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• effect(n)/ effect(v)=influence/ effective(a)
• analysis(n)/ analyze(v)=examine/ analytical(a)/ analytically(adv)
• attribute(n)/ attribute(v)=cause by/ attributable-attributive(a)/ attributively(adv)
• availability(n)=presence/ avail(v)/ available(a)
• conclusion(n)/ conclude(v)/ conclusive(a)=certain/ conclusively(adv)
• conduct(n)/ conduct(v)=carry out
• environment(n)=conditions/ environmental(a)/ environmental(adv)
• exposure(n)/ expose(v)/ exposed(a)=without protection
• impact(n)=effect/ impact(v)
• investigation(n)/ investigate(v)=find out about/ investigative(a)
• motivation(n)/ motivate(v)=encourage/ motivated(a)
• potential(n)/ potential(a)/ potentially(adv)=possibly
• vehicle(n)=car/ vehicular(a) 

1. Patients who need to have X-rays should be exposed to as little radiation as possible.
2. The company designed a plan to motivate of certain fruits and vegetables no longer depends on the weather or the season.
3. After the remarkable achievement of his first novel that won several prizes, this writer never managed to write anything else as interesting or original.
4. Scientists are investigating the relationship between air quality and cancer.
5. The police attributed the cause of the accident to the bad weather and wet roads.
6. Both young and middle-aged women were considered potential customers of the new clothing store.
7. The study was conducted by a well-known company with long experience in political matters.
8. The ares most severely effected by the storm were those along the coast.
9. Living in an unhealthy environment can influence a child's behavior and development.
10. The police are writing for conclusive evidence before they can arrest the man they think is responsible for the crime.
11. Motor vehicles are not allowed on the roads in many national parks.
12. When the bones found on the mountain top were analyzed, scientists were surprised to discover they were five centuries old.
13. The stores in the downtown area are beginning to feel the impact of the huge new shopping center on the edge of town.