{"id":989,"date":"2010-09-29T09:08:00","date_gmt":"2010-09-29T07:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kids.esa.int\/the_moon_the_earth_and_gravity\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T00:34:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T22:34:34","slug":"the_moon_the_earth_and_gravity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kids.esa.int\/ro\/the_moon_the_earth_and_gravity\/","title":{"rendered":"Luna, P\u0103m\u00e2ntul \u0219i gravita\u021bia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What would happen if an aspiring villain, a scientist who\u2019s a little too old and deaf, and a group of clumsy and spiteful assistants ventured into the construction of rockets and anti-gravitational weapons? You can find out in Despicable Me, Universal Pictures\u2019 3D animated feature coming out in cinemas on 15 October. In the film, our odd heroes struggle with the Moon, its mass, and the force of gravity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

So let\u2019s just have a little talk about these key concepts in order to understand better what happens in the film. Have you ever seen a fruit or object falling from a tree? And have you ever tried to throw a stone and watch it fall? This force that \u2018brings down\u2019 things is called the force of gravity.<\/p>\n

\"Gru\"
Gru<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We are constantly attracted to the Earth by its gravitational force , That is the reason why we always keep our feet on the ground. We don\u2019t need to be in direct contact with Earth to be attracted by it however; not being too far away is just enough for the same forces to act. This is why our own planet orbits around the Sun, and the Moon orbits around the Earth.<\/p>\n

For\u021ba gravita\u021bional\u0103 este determinat\u0103 de masa unui obiect. For\u021ba gravita\u021bional\u0103 dintre dou\u0103 obiecte este propor\u021bional\u0103 cu masa acestora \u0219i scade foarte repede \u00een momentul \u00een care le separ\u0103m. De fapt, \u0219i noi atragem obiecte cu \u2018propria\u2019 noastr\u0103 for\u021b\u0103 gravita\u021bional\u0103, dar suntem prea u\u0219ori pentru a observa efectele! Soarele, \u00eens\u0103, este at\u00e2t de mare \u00eenc\u00e2t reu\u0219e\u0219te s\u0103 ne \u021bin\u0103 aproape chiar \u0219i atunci c\u00e2nd se afl\u0103 at\u00e2t de departe. \u0218i Luna \u00ee\u0219i exercit\u0103 for\u021ba gravita\u021bional\u0103; \u00eentruc\u00e2t este mai mic\u0103 \u0219i mai u\u0219oar\u0103 dec\u00e2t P\u0103m\u00e2ntul, dac\u0103 ne-am putea c\u00e2nt\u0103ri pe ea, am descoperi c\u0103 greutatea noastr\u0103 ar fi de aproximativ o \u0219esime din cea pe care o avem pe P\u0103m\u00e2nt.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

Ne-am putea \u00eentreba de ce Luna nu cade pe P\u0103m\u00e2nt la fel cum cade un m\u0103r din copac. Motivul este c\u0103 Luna nu st\u0103 niciodat\u0103 pe loc. Se mi\u0219c\u0103 constant \u00een jurul nostru. F\u0103r\u0103 for\u021ba de gravita\u021bie a P\u0103m\u00e2ntului, ar pluti pur \u0219i simplu \u00een spa\u021biu. Aceast\u0103 combina\u021bie de vitez\u0103 \u0219i distan\u021b\u0103 fa\u021b\u0103 de P\u0103m\u00e2nt permite Lunii s\u0103 se men\u021bin\u0103 mereu \u00een echilibru \u00eentre c\u0103dere \u0219i evadare. Dac\u0103 ar fi mai rapid\u0103, ar sc\u0103pa; dac\u0103 ar fi mai lent\u0103, ar c\u0103dea!<\/p>\n

We said the force of gravity depends on distance too. If we were to distance ourselves enough, we could escape its hold. That\u2019s what we try to do with spacecraft. We need to reach and exceed the so-called \u2018escape velocity\u2019, that is about 11.2 km\/s (at such velocity, we would be able to move from London to New York in just ten minutes!). Once a shuttle reaches this velocity, it is free to travel in the Solar System.<\/p>\n

\"Minions\"
Minions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Inside an orbiting shuttle we do not feel the gravitational force of the Earth. Objects don\u2019t fall, they float; if you jump up, you don\u2019t come back down. A similar thing also happens to astronauts when they are in space stations orbiting the Earth.<\/p>\n

In Despicable Me you will see rockets flying and the effects of gravity on the Moon. Gru has a group of assistants called Minions who will help him in his quest to steal the Moon and become the most famous villain in the world. We hope you enjoy the film!<\/p>\n