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Images of Apollo Landing Sites Soon Available
eric.brasseur writes "The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has entered lunar orbit in perfect shape. From a height of 50 km, it will image the Moon in high resolution. The hardware left by the Apollo missions will be clearly visible. The Soviet automatic probes will also be photographed. Previous best images were made by the Japanese probe Kaguya and showed a white patch where the dust had been blown away by the blast of the LM engine."
Lunakhod 1 carried a French retroreflector array for Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) but unfortunately, contact was lost and no one knows where it is.
I checked the wikipedia and there is no mention, but I thought it was "generally known" that because it worked for a year or so and then "suddenly failed" it was because the optics cracked due to thermal stresses. An earth year is about 12 lunar days, and the hot/cold cycles are pretty intense. A cracked retroreflector isn't going to work.
Given realistic spot diameter on the moon vs possible landing area position error, and the difference in cost between having grad students blast away randomly (virtually free) vs the cost of launching another mission, I don't think its just "unknown location".
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
You mean, something like this? And, before you ask, this one is pretty nifty, too.
Rhapsody in Numbers
We've had proof for a long time. The nutjobs just don't want to believe it. For one thing, they left reflectors on the moon that can bounce back laser signals. Mythbusters even did it.
I'm sure the nutjobs will find some excuse not to believe this too.
But P&T's Bullshit is also a program that doubts Global Warming/Climate Change, so it must be ignored.
This post modded down in 3, 2, 1...
The commissioning phase will end approximately 60 days after launch, when LRO will use its engines to transition to its primary mission orbit.
LRO is now in a commissioning orbit! - June 27
So we're at least 56 days from "first light" and the mapping program will go for 1 year, and as there's nothing to suggest that the Apollo landing sites will be first or last imaged, a good estimate is 8 months or so from now.
If that's "soon" to you, then I guess you're older than I am :)
How we know is more important than what we know.
A more relevant movie reference would be Capricorn One, which featured a fake trip to Mars. (And I think must have been the inspiration for many/most of the moon hoaxers.) Plus it starred OJ Simpson.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0077294/
Comment of the year
Next time realize that satire can go both ways.
I am scientifically inaccurate.
You have to point the laser at the Apollo landing sites specifically. That means "something" is exactly where NASA says it is, which is all these new pictures will show up, so congrats on finding the excuse they'll use to deny this.
Anyways, Wikipedia has a whole article on independent evidence for the Moon landings, including Russian and independent radio operators monitoring mission communications.
In the Mythbusters test (as pointed out above), they shined the laser on the lunar highlands, a place totally devoid of human 'stuff'. There was no reflection other than background light. After they slewed the 'scope to the Apollo 15 landing site, there was a clear peak of light at the expected wavelength and distance.
Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.