G7 – Speaking to the Man on the Moon approaching – 04

Your grandfather explained, “Sound waves are mechanical energy that travel through matter. However, inside the astronauts’ space suits, there had to be air. Astronauts need it to breathe. Remember, there is no air on the Moon. Astronauts had to have some way to talk with each other while they were outside of the lunar module. Air inside their space suits allowed that to happen. Then, technology converts those sound waves into radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves and not mechanical waves.”

“That makes sense,” you respond, nodding your head. Electromagnetic waves do not require a medium to travel. Like light waves, radio waves can be transferred without matter. That sound of the astronauts speaking were then sent back to Earth by radio waves. Radio waves are what made it possible to hear them back on Earth.

“I think we can put that record on the ‘keep’ pile,” Grandpa says and gently takes it.
True, you missed a ball game. The fact is, you no longer care. This has turned out to be a really great day. You learned a lot about Science and history from your grandpa. He always tells you how much fun he had being an engineer at NASA. One day, you hope to follow in his footsteps. Maybe not to work at NASA, but some type of career that lets you continue to learn more about Science.