The moon's craters

On Thursday we did an experiment to show why some craters are big and some are smaller and why some craters have lines stretching out from them (it is the dirt that was scattered when a meteorite hit). We had flour in a bucket and then I sprinkled cocoa on the top...the flour represents the rocks on the moon, the cocoa the layer of dust. Then students dropped a rock from different heights and at different speeds. If the rock was dropped close to the ground (a rock traveling slowly) then it just made a small dent in the flour. But if it was dropped from up higher and especially if it was thrown with force, then the dent/crater was much larger and often flour was scattered all around the crater. This is what has happened on the moon. It is covered with craters of various sizes. And because there is no air, no wind, no weather, and no water, the dirt/dust settles after the meteorite hits and stays there for thousands or even millions of years.

The students were very interested to hear that Buzz Aldrin's and Neil Armstrong's footprints on the moon will be there for more than a million years. They are very interested in the moon and have great questions.