We all know that the moon goes around the earth. But do you know you can always only see one side of the moon while the other side always turns away from us? The side that we can see from the earth is called the near side while the other side is called the far side. Some people call it the dark side, but that’s not correct, as the sun is shinning on it brightly on the other side. The gravity (重力) on the moon is only one sixth of that on the earth. When a person is on the moon, he will weigh one sixth of his weight on the earth. So the moon is the place to go if you want to feel like you’re weightless.

Astronauts have been on the moon several times since 1969 and they left a lot of rubbish behind. Scientists estimate that there are about 181,437 kilograms of man-made materials lying around the moon.

As the nearest neighbor of the earth, the moon brings a lot of effects on us. The scientists have found that, around a full moon, people may take longer to fall asleep and sleep less. Therefore, next time if you can’t get to sleep, don’t blame yourself—it could be the full moon.

Antarctica (南极洲) is the coldest, driest and windiest place on our planet. What would it be like to live and work there? On Oct. 15th, 2019, 50 Chinese scientists set sail from Shenzhen, heading for Antarctica. This was our country's 36th Antarctic expedition. The ship, Xuelong 2, is the first icebreaker made in China. Xuelong 2 is one of the world's best research icebreakers.

It can sail to any place around the world in one trip without refueling (加燃料). It can work in temperatures as low as -30%℃. It is the first in the world to use two-way ice-breaking technology, which means that it can break the ice while moving forward or backward.

Because of Antarctica's special environment, scientists from around the world have been there to do studies for many years. The study of Antarctica's geology (地质) is also important. Rock in Antarctica can tell scientists what the weather was like a long time ago. And they can help scientists understand how the earth has changed over time. There are also many wild animals, such as penguins and seals. Scientists can learn how animals live in cold places by studying them.

As we all know, life in Antarctica is not easy－it's cold and sometimes dangerous. But scientists say it's still quite fun. For example, some scientists study how penguins walk, what they eat and why they move from one place to another. They are excited to see the cute animals playing around. They hope their studies can help protect them.

Xuelong 2 finished its tasks and returned to Shanghai on April 22, 2020.