What does the arrival on the moon mean? The look of four Argentinian scientists

[CCM] Received, Twan … Tranquility. We copy that they are on the ground. Here they have a group of people about to turn blue. We breathe again. Thank you so much.

With these brief and concise words, the astronaut has convulsed the entire mission control center and even the entire world, to immediately bring the greatest peace of mind. Tranquility, name that Armstrong chose to baptize the base where they had just landed and that he had kept it secret until then, for the perplexed and relieved listeners. Fifty years after this milestone in the history of the world, some Argentinean scientists are encouraged to think about what this event entails.

What impressed the most the CONICET researcher Gabriel R. Bengochea It is the fact that in the 1960s all the necessary technologies that did not exist before were developed. "From specific materials, computers, water purifiers, machines, vehicles and space suits, there were no suppliers to order a home delivery"says the scientist who works at the Institute of Astronomy and Space Physics (IAFE, CONICET-UBA). "Everything was done for the first time, humans had to learn to go out and orbit around the Earth, to couple two ships in space, to move away from the Earth, to orbit another heavenly body, to come down to the surface of the moon and return to earth safe and sound. "

AT Marcela Cañada AssandriAstronomer of the Department of Geophysics and Astronomy (FCEFN-UNSJ and CONICET), the arrival of humans on the Moon has, in many respects, been a breaking point for the planetary sciences, especially for scientists who are dedicated to the badysis of surface features. celestial bodies, such as their composition, their porosity, their roughness, and those who study the processes of formation of the planet.

Livio Gratton He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering and is a member of the National Commission for Space Activities (CONAE). A great admirer of Neil Armstrong's humble personality, Gratton wonders what sensations were felt at that time. "Collins alone in the command module, the other two astronauts sleeping a few hours on the lunar surface before leaving, the worry that appeared every time there was something to trigger or the loss of radio contact , the uncertainty of those who were on Earth, the desire of an entire planet that everything went well … "

• Scientific contributions of the mission

"In comparison with subsequent Apollo missions, the Apollo 11 mission objectives had little scientific data, since it was the first mission to land on the moon", says Bengochea and adds: "Astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin have traveled short distances for about two and a half hours." Among the earliest engravings on the Moon, on the lunar dust, have been installed a seismograph and a mirror device which, in sending laser pulses from the Earth to these mirrors, now allow to measure the distance to the Moon with great precision.We, human beings, could personally verify that our daily physics works the same way in another celestial body ".

Moreover, "the moon reveals a very active past in the solar system, with its crater-filled surface and a common history with the Earth, it also provides us with additional information on the chemical elements present in the early solar system. At about 4.6 billion years ago, armalcolite (a multiple oxide of titanium, iron and magnesium) is a mineral discovered in the sea of ​​the tranquility of the moon and named in l '. honor of the three astronauts of Apollo 11, as an acronym for Armstrong + Aldrin + Collins. During this mission, about 22 kg of rock were brought to Earth, which, with the following missions, totals a total of 382 kg, "said the scientist.

"These rocks represent the first precise sample of material from another celestial body"said Cañada Assandri. "On Earth, there are other samples of extraterrestrial material: meteorites, however, of these, we can only estimate their origin." For this reason, the rocks brought from the Moon have allowed for example, to study the direct relationship between the characteristics of the material and the place of collection, among other aspects.

The following missions, which descended on the Moon until 1972, have allowed for larger expeditions and more elaborate experiments.

• Science, power and politics

Alejandro López He is an astronomer, anthropologist and researcher at the UBA CONICET. For him, the theme of missions to the moon is an interesting case for badyzing the relationship of science with other aspects of life and, in particular, with power and politics in the world. "In this sense, the Apollo Missions, which are among the greatest achievements of the combination of engineering and the science of human history, show this relationship", says.

The researcher reports that the Apollo Missions were created in the context of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, in the context of a practical and symbolic dispute over the control of the US. space. In fact, space exploration technology was based on developments arising in the context of a previous conflict because, at the end of the Second World War, the experts and developments of the German V1 missile program and V2 were challenged by Americans and Soviets. "Positioning in space has become a crucial problem because, for example, of the importance of dominating the Earth's orbital space to locate satellites facilitating communications and strategic photography".

The story goes that it was the Russians who took the first steps successfully at the start of the space race and even managed to put the first person into orbit. So, on April 12, 1961, the young man Yuri Gagarin He became the first man to observe the Earth from outside the atmosphere. "For the US In the United States, it became essential to reverse the Soviet advantage, and for this reason, shortly after his arrival as president, Kennedy set himself the goal of placing a man on the table. moon. "

"We can see that there are many things in the Apollo program that have to do with the symbolic charge and the political decision to send a man to the moon, to take a step forward in the race. to space and to demonstrate the power of the US The scientific interests – which were of course important in missions to the moon – were not the determining factors in defining the budget and the considerable efforts needed to achievement of these missions.In fact, in the history of the space program, this budget has not yet been matched. "

• But is the exploit produced or not?

López says that when the political goal of overtaking the Soviet Union is achieved, the United States reorganizes its priorities and allocation of resources. The Apollo missions are canceled and the focus is on establishing the first international space station in orbit.

"In addition to this reorganization of political priorities, it is interesting to badyze the social reception generated on this topic.In the beginning, this extraordinary event had a considerable impact on public opinion, people thought that it was an incredible event "he says.

However, over the years, the enormous enthusiasm has dissipated and the "Theories of conspiracy" this calls into question the arrival of man on the moon. According to Lopez, this is related to changes in social imaginaries concerning science and political power.

"As a social phenomenon, these suspicions are very interesting because they allow us to try to understand how people perceive science and how they build their ideas around what is true and what does not. Is not ".

These complex socio-cultural phenomena are generally tackled by cultural astronomy. "What's interesting is to badyze, for example, how the memory of all the other Apollo missions that landed was erased from the social imaginary.There were six missions in total that put people humans on the moon, but if you ask almost everyone on the street, you will say, "the man came to the moon in 1969 and no one else came back." Our memory is turned on and off according to contexts and interests, both individually and collectively "he says.

"I think that people who doubt the arrival of the man on the moon have not had the time or interest to see all the documentation and material available on the site NASA website, "he said. Livio Gratton. This site contains all the transcripts of the complete dialogues of the eight days of the mission. as well as the description of all the maneuvers they performed and entries into the computers.

"If you had to invent all that and make sense, it would be a greater effort than putting a man on the moon"he smiles and concludes, "For me, the strongest evidence is that the Soviet bloc has never denied the fact.Although they have not announced it with fanfare, an experienced scientist has published articles in which he congratulated himself on his achievements, which would have liked more the Soviets of that moment than to unmask such a joke! "

• Commemoration of the great historic event

"Perhaps the Apollo project was one of the largest hardware companies in history, and about 400,000 people over a decade participated in the goal of placing a human being on the surface of the moon. ", says Bengochea. For this physicist, the message behind this commemoration would be that "Even impossible can be achieved if there is a clear goal and you work in a team".

For López, it would be interesting "to reactivate the social memory with regard to the details of the process.Do not forget that it is not only Apollo 11, but also D & # 39; A series of ships and previous attempts, six subsequent missions and numerous scientific work on the samples obtained on the Moon and on the objects still present. "

As a woman astronomer, a Marcela Cañada I would like to acknowledge the important work done by software pioneer Margaret Hamilton. "It was their programming that made the right calculations and allowed the Apollo 11 crew to complete their mission and return home."

"I do not stop thinking about fragility, there are thousands and thousands of things that must have gone well to make the mission a success", reflects Gratton. "It's a test of what human society can do when it concentrates its efforts." In '69, this engineer has reached an unequaled stage. In addition, he points out that there were not even pictures of moon quality at that time, nor the organizational capacity of today; the programmers, having no requirement, started programming everything that had to be programmed.

"For me it's something miraculous"exclaims Gratton and synthesizes: "The Apollo project was:" We do not have the time, we have to move it forward. "They invented everything and on the way they did it. Even two years pbaded between Apollo 1 (where three astronauts died) and Apollo 11. They had to completely rethink the control module, and they did it … "