The only way to send information back and forth is to use radio waves. Just like a radio station broadcasts a signal which you can listen to using a radio, astronauts and people on Earth can broadcast information back and forth to each other. Radio waves are transverse waves.
Explanation: The Moon has phases because it orbits Earth, which causes the portion we see illuminated to change. The Moon takes 27.3 days to orbit Earth, but the lunar phase cycle (from new Moon to new Moon) is 29.5 days.