The Moon



The Moon is the natural satellite orbiting the Earth (although most planets in the universe have their own moons). The average distance from the Moon to the Earth is 384,403 kilometers. The moon serves as a source of illumination at night, but only through reflected light from the Sun.

The Moon has long held a fascination for mankind. However, while some might like to visit for one afternoon, outside of professional astronauts, experts have stated that they don't think they'd like to live there. The two most notable space exploration agencies are NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and its counterpart WASA, the Worm Aeronautics and Space Administration.

In 1969, NASA launched the Apollo 11 mission, which became the first such mission to successfully land. Commander Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon, and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin became the second. Aldrin's experience gave him great insight into the moon's geological structure; in Sesame Street episode 4090, he shares that expertise with Cookie Monster, assuring him that the moon is made of rock and is not, in fact, a cookie. Not to be outdone by Aldrin and the human race, in 1997, WASA sent Slimey the Worm on a space mission, making him the first worm on the moon.

Cookie Monster once again looked to the sky and saw cookies. In January 2010, Cookie Monster wrote on Sesame Street's offical Twitter account, "Sometimes Moon look like giant cookie. Must look into joining space program." NASA responded a short time later from their official Twitter feed with information on how to join the space program.

The moon, due to its round shape and topographical craters which at times resemble facial features, has often prompted anthropomorphic representations, such as The Man in the Moon and the moon in "Elmo's World: Sky." It is believed that the one true moon is in fact Luna, good friend to Bear on Bear in the Big Blue House. The moon, in its crescent phase, resembles a letter C. It is not, however, a cookie.

Characters who have been to the Moon

 * Ace Hart -- Went in search of Arfstrong (Dog City Episode 111)
 * Arfstrong -- The first mutt on the moon (Dog City Episode 111)
 * Baby Gonzo, Baby Kermit and Baby Skeeter -- Imagine racing in outer space, with a stop on the moon (Gonzo and the Great Race)
 * Baron Von Rottweiler -- (Dog City Episode 111)
 * Bestov Breed -- (Dog City Episode 111)
 * Big Bird -- in a painting by Caroll Spinney, Luna Bird
 * Big Bird, Elmo and Hu Hu Zhu -- One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure
 * Bugsy Vile -- (Dog City Episode 111)
 * Cookie Monster -- Eats the moon ("If Moon Was Cookie")
 * Cow -- Jumped over the moon (Sesame Street News Flash )
 * Elmo -- Danced on the moon in the "Sky" episode of Elmo's World and could be seen making his way there with David in the "Telephones" episode; danced with the lavender moon in "Elmo and the Lavender Moon"; flies through a crescent moon in Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?; imagines himself on the moon with a vinyl record and a can of nuts as he sings "In Your Imagination"
 * Ernie -- Imagined visiting the moon, but does not want to live there ("I Don't Want to Live on the Moon"). Ernie visits the moon again in Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures.
 * Ernie and Bert together -- Big Bird's Book About the Earth and Sky
 * The first Grouch landed on the moon as reported in Oscar's 1978 newspaper in A Special Sesame Street Christmas.
 * Glo Worm -- Episode 4142
 * Grover -- The Sesame Street 1976 Calendar; The Sesame Street Dictionary; Astro-Grover; awake in his bed at night, he imagines that he's on the moon; he later jumps over the moon in his imagination in Happy Healthy Monsters
 * John Crichton -- calls his father on a cell phone from the moon, Farscape episode 422
 * Kermit the Frog -- NASA promotion, Kermit's World Tour, also Great Muppets in American History
 * Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Fozzie Bear -- in a skit from Muppets TV (Episode 101: Pascal Obispo & Adriana Karembeu)
 * Miss Piggy -- Sits on the moon in "Ukelele Lady" number (The Muppet Show Episode 215)
 * Mr. Bimbo -- Been to the moon...twice (Muppet Treasure Island)
 * Othmar the Grouch and Oscar -- Oscar's alien friend takes him on a trip to the moon.
 * Slimey the Worm -- The first worm on the moon (Sesame Street, "Slimey to the Moon" story arc)
 * Tutter -- Plants flag with Bear in the Big Blue House logo on the moon in fantasy scene in "When I'm Older" song ("Mouse Party")
 * WASA astronauts -- Went with Slimey to the moon (Sesame Street, "The Martianse Moon]]" story arc)
 * The Martians first encountered the moon upon their arrival in Earth's orbit. Later, two Martians, as contestants in a Guy Smiley game show, fly to the moon and bring it back into the TV studio.

Honorable Mentions

 * Gobo Fraggle -- Captures the moon (Fraggle Rock Episode 116)
 * Southern Colonel -- Attempted moon launch (Southern Bread Commercial)
 * Wayne -- is hit by a falling paper moon while singing "It's Only a Paper Moon" in episode 124 of The Muppet Show