P5_1 ”Everybody knows the Moon is made of cheese...”: Return of the Cheddar

Abstract

This Letter explores the repercussions of the Moon turning into cheddar, and finds that with the same volume and lighter mass of m = 2.49 × 1022kg, it would escape the Earth’s sphere of influence. We looked at two possible escape trajectories, prograde and retrograde, and found the new orbital distances to be between 0.73AU and 1.00AU, and between 1.00AU and 1.51AU, respectively. Thus potentially carrying the Moon very near to the orbits of Venus or Mars.