Shooting Marbles

NASA prepares for the next trip to the moon

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This is a real photo of a Pyrex marble exploding on impact at the NASA Ames Vertical Gun Range. (Photo: Peter Schultz, Brown University, and NASA)

April 10, 2007

It's not every day that you see scientists playing with marbles, but for NASA scientist Bill Cooke, it's a job. Cooke shoots small glass marbles at a rate of 16,000 mph into a pile of soil that is similar to the moon's surface. He hopes the lessons learned from the experiment will help keep astronauts safe when they travel to the moon.

"We are simulating meteoroid impacts with the lunar surface," Cooke explained.

The moon does not have an atmosphere, like the Earth does, to slow objects heading toward its surface. Space objects, like comets or meteors, cause major damage partly because they are moving so fast.

Since meteors (space rocks) often hit the moon's surface, it can be dangerous for astronauts. Cooke uses marbles to try to predict how much damage the meteors actually cause on impact. The results will help NASA learn what precautions need to be taken when astronauts return to the moon.

How It Works

To shoot the marbles, NASA uses a special gun—the Ames Vertical Gun Range (AVGR), located in the Ames Research Center in California.

Cooke uses the flash from the explosion to make different calculations. With these calculations, he can figure out what's happening on the moon's surface.

The scientists use high-speed cameras and a photometer, or light meter, to record the results.

Critical Thinking Question

Read today's news story, and then answer the following question.

Do you think it's important for astronauts to return to the moon? Why or why not?

Join a discussion of this question on our bulletin board.

Tiffany Chaparro is a contributing writer for Scholastic News Online.

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