Squiz Kids acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands on which we podcast the Turrbal and Combermeri people.
This is a Squiz Kids podcast.
Your fresh take on what's happening in the world around you.
Some cultures say a man lives up there, others a rabbit.
It's so big it keeps Earth steady, but it's slowly drifting away from us every single year.
And countries around the world are racing to get back up there.
This is your Squiz Kids shortcut to the moon.
The podcast where we dive into the who, what, where, when, why and how of the big news stories.
I'm Christy Kijerina.
And I'm Bryce Corbett.
Oh, Bryce doing, why are you sliding backwards across the studio?
Uh christy, i'm just practicing my moonwalk not the astronaut kind, of course, the michael jackson kind here.
Look, check it out Smooth as low gravity.
You kind of look like you're trying to escape a very slow moving shopping trolley.
Well, thank you.
And that's exactly the vibe I was going for.
Oh, good, good, good.
Yeah.
Now, today we're exploring why humans are so fascinated by the moon, how the moon affects life on Earth and what the future holds for humans in the moon.
So grab your space helmet, steady your landing ladder, and let's blast off.
And listen carefully, there's a...
Quiz at the end.
Why?
So Bryce, why are humans so fascinated by the moon?
I mean, we've been staring at it for like basically forever.
Yeah, well, I mean, it is the biggest, brightest thing in the night sky.
It's kind of hard to ignore.
Yeah, exactly.
And because it changes shape so predictably, lots of cultures created stories to explain what they saw up there.
Here in Australia, every Aboriginal nation has its own knowledge, stories and teachings about the moon.
Yeah, and cultures all over the world have their very own versions, like the man in the moon, for example, or the rabbit in the moon, which I swear is all you can see once someone points out the ears.
And, of course, my favourite, that the moon is made of cheese, which I still think deserves investigating.
You know, for scientific purposes, of course.
Yeah, of course.
And then there's the myth that the full moon makes people go a little bit wild.
Ah, yes, the full moon equals chaos theory.
And I'm sure parents everywhere are nodding as I say this.
Yeah, but there's actually no scientific evidence that a full moon changes human behaviour at all.
People used to think that it did, because full moons made the night brighter.
And before street lights.
That meant that more people were out and about, which meant more unusual things happening on nights with a bright moon.
So it wasn't the moon making people weird, it was people being weird while the moon happened to be full.
Yeah, pretty much.
But all these stories show just how deeply the moon has captured human imagination, from science to stories, to calendars and ceremonies.
Okay, so humans love the moon because it's big bright, mysterious and it's great for storytelling.
But does it actually do anything, or is it just floating up there looking pretty?
How?
So how does the moon affect the earth?
Short answer, the moon has a huge effect, starting with the tides.
Ah yes, the moon's pulling the oceans around like a giant cosmic magnet.
Yeah, the moon's gravity pulls the water towards it, giving us a high tide.
So without the moon, tides would be tiny and lots of ocean animals wouldn't survive.
Yeah, things like rock pools, crabs, penguins and turtles surfing in on the tide.
They can all do that thanks to the moon, right?
Yeah, exactly. keeps the Earth steady.
So without the moon holding us in place, our planet would be all wibbly wobbly like a dodgy spinning top and our seasons would go haywire.
It also gives off enough light at night for animals to use.
So moths navigate by it, some birds migrate with it, and corals spawn based on the moon's cycle.
So a full moon is basically nature's big now or this way signal.
But how did the moon get there in the first place?
Oh, great question, bryce.
About 45 billion years ago, a Mars-sized object smashed into early Earth and the debris clumped together to form the moon.
Wow, so the moon is basically recycled earth leftovers.
Yeah, and it's drifting away from us by about four centimetres every year.
And we know that because astronauts left reflectors on the surface and scientists can bounce lasers off them.
Very cool and very sciencey.
Also, great proof that we actually went there.
Those reflectors are one of the reasons we know the moon landings weren't faint.
I mean, you can't bounce a laser off a movie set.
No, you cannot.
Alright, so the moon shapes our tides, our seasons and heaps of animal behaviour.
But what about humans going back there?
What's next for us and the moon?
Right, to understand the future, let's rewind quickly to the past.
In the 1960s and 70s the United States and Soviet Union were racing to get to the moon.
First the US one with the Apollo missions and humans last walked on the moon way back in 1972.
Whoa, that's more than 50 years ago.
So why are we in such a rush to go back there now?
Oh, so many reasons.
We've found water ice in dark craters.
The moon helps us to learn about the early solar system, And it's the perfect practice ground for getting humans to Mars.
Kind of like a lunar training camp.
The new American program is called Artemis, named after Apollo's twin sister.
Now Artemis 1 flew around the moon without humans.
Artemis 2 will take astronauts around the moon probably early next year and in 2027 or 2028
Artemis III aims to land the first woman and the first person of colour on the moon.
Oh, it's amazing.
And other countries are right in the mix too.
India with Chandrayaan.
China with Chongyue and Japan's Slimlander.
And even private companies like SpaceX are trying to get there.
So, Christy, who actually owns the moon?
I mean, could I just go and build a house up there?
Quite a challenge, Bryce.
For lots of reasons.
The view would be fantastic, though.
Yeah, good view.
But no one actually owns the moon.
But the 1967 Outer Space Treaty says countries aren't allowed to claim the moon and that it has to be used peacefully.
There's still lots of debate about mining and resources.
The rules are still being decided.
Okay, so what about living there?
Could we have moon towns, moon shops, moon footy even?
Maybe one day, but it won't be easy.
There's no breathable air up there.
Temperatures swing from boiling to freezing.
And you know that moon dust?
It's really sharp, like tiny glass shards.
So scientists think early bases will have to be underground or inside protective habitats, with robots doing most of the work.
Okay, so then we're not quite ready for moon footy just yet.
No.
But it definitely does feel closer than ever.
Time for the quiz.
This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you've been listening.
Question number one.
What natural phenomenon on Earth is mainly caused by the moon's gravity?
Say tides, you would be correct.
Question number two this one's a true or false question.
The moon is slowly drifting away from earth by about four centimeters each year.
Is that true or is it false?
That is in fact true.
Wow.
Question number three.
What is the name of the US space program aiming to return humans to the moon?
Is it A, Artemis, B, Apollo, or C, Aphrodite?
Yeah, that's right.
It's A, Artemis.
Well, that's all we have time for today.
Thanks for joining us as we explored the who, what, where, when, why and how of the moon.
Now get out there and have a most.
Excellent day.
Over and out.
