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Hubble Zooms In On Moon Minerals
DIY News writes "Lunar scientists have already returned to the moon, using the Hubble Space Telescope and old Apollo Program rock samples to begin prospecting for useful ores. Locating ores rich in oxygen and metals is seen as the first step in making the next decade's human return to the moon more self sufficient and cost effective. Some wavelengths of UV are filtered out by Earth's atmosphere, which is why Hubble can do the job better than a ground-based telescope."
They should save that telescope.
And, First Post?
Define close???
The Hubble orbits 350 miles above the earth and the average distance to the moon is 238,857 miles.
I'd hardly consider 238,500 (apprx) miles very close =-)
"Murderer? Well, that's a harsh word. I prefer to think of myself as a Mortality Technician."
While we're up there, how about we start work on power satellites?
If you can get the math to work and sweet talk some venture capitalists then by all means do so. Believe me, people are trying. The numbers just don't work out well. Oil, or any other energy source, is cheap by comparison. The launch costs and inefficiencies in the energy transfer back to earth just don't correlate into profit.
Winds up being the same story with the rail gun. Good idea, in principle, but the devil is in the details.
-everphilski-
Define close???
;)
The Hubble orbits 350 miles above the earth and the average distance to the moon is 238,857 miles.
I'd hardly consider 238,500 (apprx) miles very close =-)
Considering the Hubble routinely examines objects hundred of millions to billions of light years away from Earth (See the See the Hubble Deep Field survey), I'd consider ~239K miles to be right the fuck on top of.
What are you going to complain about when W is not longer in the whitehouse?
Prof. Farnsworth - "Oh a lesson in not changing history from Mr I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!"
Ya but think of all the other great stuff we could do with a mirror that big!
If it's dead, you killed it.