Summary: "What does the Moon mean to you?" is the theme for this year's International Observe the Moon Night on October 8, 2011. Our neighbor in space has always fascinated us, both culturally and scientifically. Starting with the first human steps in 1969, six of 11 Apollo missions landed astronauts on the Moon to do a variety of science experiments, which continue today. For example, the Apollo lunar laser ranging experiment still exists, with scientists aiming lasers at reflectors on the Moon to measure its distance from Earth. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, LRO, has sent back highly detailed images showing the locations of those first missions and the science lab equipment that was so much a part of humanity's first steps off our home planet. Scientists continue to explore the Moon, to understand its physical structure, and they plan to use it for future research in astrophysics and cosmology. In this episode of Astronomy Behind the Headlines, Dr. Jack Burns, of the University of Colorado's Lunar University Network for Astrophysics Research (LUNAR), joins us to talk about lunar exploration and some exciting work his team is planning to do from the surface of the Moon.
