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Short Wave

Hal Walker: The Man Who Shot The Moon

Short Wave

NPR

News, Life Sciences, Daily News, Astronomy, Nature, Science

4.7 β€’ 6.5K Ratings

πŸ—“οΈ 25 March 2022

⏱️ 13 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In addition to flying, landing, and returning from the moon in 1969 β€” NASA's Apollo 11 crew helped with a series of scientific experiments. One of them was to leave a special instrument with lots of little reflectors on the surface of the moon. The goal of that experiment was to beam a laser at the moon. Today on the show, Scientist-In-Residence Regina G. Barber talks to host Aaron Scott about the lunar laser ranging experiment β€” and how shooting that laser helped us better understand one of Einstein's theories.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.

0:06.0

For the eyes of the world, now look into space to the moon and to the planets beyond.

0:14.0

In the early 60s during the space race, President John F. Kennedy set a national goal.

0:19.0

We have vowed that we shall not see space,

0:23.0

filled with weapons of mass destruction,

0:26.0

but with instruments of knowledge and understanding.

0:29.0

The promise was simple.

0:31.0

Send a crew of US astronauts to the moon, land, and return to Earth.

0:36.0

So on July 20, 1969, much of the world stood still,

0:41.0

as NASA's Apollo 11 crew fulfilled this national vow.

0:46.0

The quality base here, the Eagle has landed.

0:48.0

Becoming the first group of astronauts from any nation to land on the moon.

0:53.0

At one small span per man, one giant leap per man.

1:00.0

And in order for us to see it, the crew actually had to set up a television camera to transmit the signals back to Earth.

1:07.0

But that iconic video we've all seen of the astronaut bouncing in low gravity doesn't show the astronauts' other objectives,

1:14.0

like collecting samples from the moon.

1:16.0

Because you know, what's the trip to the moon without some souvenirs?

1:20.0

Right? And the Apollo 11 crew also left some scientific equipment on the moon,

1:25.0

so that we could study the moon from Earth.

1:27.0

And one of those was an instrument with a lot of little reflectors.

1:31.0

Okay, Regina, I love this because there's actually a pinky in the brain episode,

1:35.0

in which the brain tries to shoot a bunch of little reflectors at the moon

...

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