Representative Shiela Jackson Lee (D-TX) exhibited a deeply concerning lack of basic scientific knowledge while discussing yesterday’s solar eclipse with students at the Booker T. Washington High School in Houston. The Texas Democrat made a series of blatantly and categorically false assertions, including that the moon was made out of gas, that the moon has a gaseous atmosphere, that moonlight produces light energy at night, and that it is ‘almost’ impossible to go near the sun.
Jackson Lee — who previously served on the House Science Committee and on the Subcommittee that oversees space policy and NASA — does not appear to have made an attempt to correct herself despite each of her claims being demonstrably false.
The National Pulse looked into each of Rep. Jackson Lee’s claims and provided the actual scientific facts below.
GASEOUS MOON?
We’ve done some digging, and it turns out the Earth’s moon is not made of gas, despite the Congresswoman’s claim. Instead, it is comprised of a core, mantle, and crust — similar to the Earth. According to NASA, the moon has a “solid, iron-rich inner core,” while its mantle may be partially molten and comprised of “minerals like olivine and pyroxene.” The moon’s solid surface is rocky and contains elements of “oxygen, silicon, magnesium, iron, calcium, and aluminum, with small amounts of titanium, uranium, thorium, potassium, and hydrogen.”
LUNAR ATMOSPHERE?
Despite Jackson Lee appearing to assert that it is an open question whether the moon’s atmosphere contains gasses that would allow humans to live on its surface, NASA emphatically notes that it does not have habitable conditions. “The Moon has a very thin and weak atmosphere, called an exosphere. It does not provide any protection from the Sun’s radiation or impacts from meteoroids,” the U.S. government space agency says.
MOON POWER?
Despite what the Texas Democrat claimed, the moon does not give off its own light energy. What we observe as moonlight is actually reflected light from the Sun. While this does give off a degree of energy, it is far less than what can be captured from direct sunlight.
TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN.
Finally, it isn’t “almost impossible” to go near the Sun. It is impossible. While estimates vary, most evidence suggests that even getting within a few million miles of the star at the center of our solar system would be fatal — with the heat overwhelming any current terrestrial technology. Additionally, the radiation emitted by the Sun would likely kill any astronaut before the star’s heat did.
WATCH:
Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee: It's "almost impossible to go near the sun," but the "moon is more manageable" because it's "made up mostly of gases" (it isn't)pic.twitter.com/0t8CPI4QzW
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 9, 2024
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