As Earth’s natural satellite, the moon orbits about 238,855 miles away from our planet. However, its distance from Earth is not fixed due to its oval-shaped orbit. At its farthest point, the moon is 252,088 miles away, while at its closest, it is 225,623 miles apart from Earth. Interestingly, the moon is slowly moving away from Earth at a rate of about an inch per year. The moon has become the focus of new exploration efforts, with the possibility of finding water ice in its dark craters, which could be used for drinking and making rocket fuel. NASA is planning to send astronauts to the moon’s south pole through its Artemis campaign, with the Artemis II mission scheduled for launch in 2024. This mission will test the Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems by taking four astronauts on a 10-day voyage around the moon. The ultimate goal is to land astronauts on the moon during the Artemis III mission, potentially making history by putting the first woman and person of color on the moon.
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