"Earth loses angular momentum because the high tide closest to the Moon is trying to get back directly underneath the Moon, while the high tide farthest from the Moon is trying to get as far away from the Moon as possible. Consequently, the high tides flow westward, and in so doing, they encounter continents and islands. The water pushes against these land masses, which, because of rotation, are moving eastward. The net result is that the eastward rotation is retarded by the westward motion of the tides -- slowing down the rotation. The day is getting longer by about 0.002 seconds per century. It doesn't sound like much, but over billions of years it adds up.
If Earth is slowing down, it must have been rotating more rapidly in the past. By counting the growth rings in 400-million-year-old coral fossils and in 3-billion-year-old stromatolites, geologists calculate that Earth was rotating four times faster when it formed than it is today. The tidal effects of the Moon and, to a much lesser degree, the Sun have lengthened the day from six hours to 24 hours.
We can also work backwards in time for the Moon. Since the Moon is moving away, it must once have been closer. The closest the Moon could have been was about 7,300 miles above Earth's surface, 1/20th its present distance -- any closer, and the tides created on it by Earth would have ripped the Moon apart, turning it into a ring. This limit on the Moon's distance is consistent with the theory of how our satellite formed.
The Moon did not form with Earth. The chemistry of the Moon's rocks and other evidence indicate that the Moon was once part of Earth."
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/33/33.html Imagine a full moon 20 times its present size looming in the night sky. The atlantean tides produced by the moon of ancient times must have been staggering and awesome.
How protected is the moon from cosmic impacts, such as comets and asteroids.. does this affect our abilities and decisions to place permanent human bases on the moon?
"Humans could be living on the Moon within 20 years, says a leading lunar scientist. According to Bernard Foing of the European Space Agency, the technology will soon exist to set up an outpost for visiting astronauts.. However, political will is needed to inspire the public to support the initiative." ..and...
"However, under current policy, the UK would not be included in any manned mission because it does not support human space exploration." Wonder why.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3161695.stm Sincerely,
