1st Video of Moon's Far Side

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Posted by timothy on Thursday February 2, 2012 @04:20AM from the obviously-faked dept.

chill writes "A gravity-mapping spacecraft orbiting the moon has beamed home its first video of the lunar far side — a view people on Earth never see. Because the moon is tidally locked with Earth, it only presents one face to the planet's surface (the near side). The side of the moon that faces away from Earth is the far side. Only robotic spacecraft and Apollo astronauts who orbited the moon in the 1960s and 1970s have seen the far side of the moon directly."

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Dark Side by Dave+Whiteside · 2012-02-02 04:24 · Score: 2, Funny

What gives ? it's not dark - or is that because of some jedi mind trick ... [seriously cool though]

--
who where what when now?
1. Re:Dark Side by FreeBSDbigot · 2012-02-02 04:31 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Just in case you're not joking -- there is no dark side of the moon. At least, no permanent one -- of course, one side is dark at any moment, but it's constantly changing. The moon only presents one side to us earthlings, but all sides to the sun.
  
  --
  Orange whip? Orange whip? Three orange whips.
2. Re:Dark Side by rubycodez · 2012-02-02 04:33 · Score: 1, Informative
  
  9. Concealed or secret; mysterious -- from the free dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dark
3. Re:Dark Side by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 04:40 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  There is no far side of the moon, really... as a matter of fact, it's ALL far.
4. Re:Dark Side by wiedzmin · 2012-02-02 04:48 · Score: 0
  
  Oh. My. God. It looks just like the other side! What a shocker :)
  
  --
  Bow before me, for I am root.
5. Re:Dark Side by Score+Whore · 2012-02-02 04:53 · Score: 1, Informative
  
  True. The proper and clear way to phrase it is: The farther side of the moon as measured in a geocentric coordinate system.
6. Re:Dark Side by Kenja · 2012-02-02 04:59 · Score: 1
  
  I was hopping it was going to be a giant butt crack. Ah well.
  
  --
  
  "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
7. Re:Dark Side by MBGMorden · 2012-02-02 05:05 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Um, not it actually looks quite different. The lunar maria (the dark spots) are much less common. Reason being that those were formed by lava flows on the surface, and you can imagine that if there's molten rock inside, it would be pulled (as expected) towards a big nearby gravity well - Earth in this case.
  
  --
  "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
8. Re:Dark Side by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 05:13 · Score: 1
  
  There is no moon...
  -smacks forehead-
  Whoa. Spoon.
9. Re:Dark Side by radtea · 2012-02-02 05:58 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  Reason being that those were formed by lava flows on the surface, and you can imagine that if there's molten rock inside, it would be pulled (as expected) towards a big nearby gravity well - Earth in this case.
  The difference in surface character on the two faces of the Moon are still a matter of considerable debate, and this particular just-so story--like so much that "just makes sense"--is completely false. References can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_mare
  There was recent work published suggesting the difference in hemispheres could be due to a late, large, low-velocity impact event that happened shortly after the lunar formation impact on Earth.
  The biggest single lesson from the past 300 years of scientific discovery is that if something "just makes sense" to brains whose evolution has been driven primarily by the social processes of mate competition and mate selection then it is probably wrong. An educated person when presented with an explanation that has intuitive appeal will treat it with well-deserved suspicion until they have seen it publicly tested by systematic observation or controlled experiment (that is, scientifically validated) and not glibly repeat it as if it were knowledge rather than speculation.
  
  --
  Blasphemy is a human right. Blasphemophobia kills.
10. Re:Dark Side by instagib · 2012-02-02 06:01 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  I just heard the refraction of light as it WHOOSHES through a prism...
11. Re:Dark Side by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 06:03 · Score: 0
  
  Now there may be a bug uncovered in Phoon or perhaps the more bugs have dependencies like that.
12. Re:Dark Side by drerwk · 2012-02-02 06:45 · Score: 1
  
  ...and you can imagine that if there's molten rock inside, it would be pulled (as expected) towards a big nearby gravity well - Earth in this case.
  You could imagine that, but from a physical reality point of view you would be quite wrong.
  Consider the tides of Earths oceans. By your argument the whole ocean would slosh towards the Sun, including on the far side of the Earth. Please have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Field_tidal.png
13. Re:Dark Side by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 06:50 · Score: 1
  
  The biggest single lesson from the past 300 years of scientific discovery is that if something "just makes sense" to brains whose evolution has been driven primarily by the social processes of mate competition and mate selection then it is probably wrong. An educated person when presented with an explanation that has intuitive appeal will treat it with well-deserved suspicion until they have seen it publicly tested by systematic observation or controlled experiment (that is, scientifically validated) and not glibly repeat it as if it were knowledge rather than speculation.
  Perhaps it was your own desire to impress potential mates that led you to dedicate more of your post to tut-ting the GP rather than dealing with the topic at hand.
14. Re:Dark Side by Phoghat · 2012-02-02 09:03 · Score: 1
  
  Not only is it not dark, I think I can see Syd Barrett.
  
  --
  Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
15. Re:Dark Side by Golddess · 2012-02-02 10:01 · Score: 1
  
  Need to go to Mars for that.
  
  --
  "I'm not sure I like the fugnutish tone you used in your post!" -RogL (608926)-
16. Re:Dark Side by treeves · 2012-02-02 11:55 · Score: 1
  
  I thought it had more do with the fact that in order for stuff to hit the "near side" it'd have to pass close by the Earth, making it less likely than hitting the "far side".
  
  --
  ...the future crusty old bastards are already drinking the Kool-Aid.
17. Re:Dark Side by Setsquare · 2012-02-02 12:05 · Score: 1
  
  there is no dark side of the moon. At least, no permanent one -- of course, one side is dark at any moment,
  You're not taking Earthlight into consideration. Midnight (moon time) on the near side always has a full Earth brightening things up. Midnight on the far side is extremely Dark.
Secret Alien Moonbase by El+Torico · 2012-02-02 04:25 · Score: 1

They must have cloaked it!

--
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is usually crucified.
Clearly a fake by TheGreatOrangePeel · 2012-02-02 04:25 · Score: 4, Funny

The video is clearly a fake. It didn't say, "mystery science theater 3000" ANYWHERE on the surface and I think we all know how largely it's written.
1. Re:Clearly a fake by davewoods · 2012-02-02 07:01 · Score: 1
  
  :) This made me smile. I like your version much better.
Dark Side of the Moon by bigredradio · 2012-02-02 04:28 · Score: 4, Funny

There's no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact it's all dark.

--
Flexible bare-metal recovery for Linux/UNIX
1. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by rubycodez · 2012-02-02 04:31 · Score: 1
  
  oh? when the sun is high up it's brighter than anywhere on earth.
2. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 04:35 · Score: 0
  
  And this certainly isn't the first video. People have been using The Wizard of Oz as one for a long time.
3. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 04:43 · Score: 0
  
  Fear not, bigredradio... despite the loud swooshing sounds, there are some out there that have listened to Pink Floyd.
4. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by north.coaster · 2012-02-02 04:44 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Looks like you never listened to Pink Floyd.
5. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by Sockatume · 2012-02-02 04:55 · Score: 2
  
  It receives more light, but it's actually a relatively dark grey colour so it's not very bright to look at. It seems bright at night, of course, but that's just because it's sunlit and everything around you isn't.
  
  --
  No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
6. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by Hatta · 2012-02-02 05:13 · Score: 2
  
  What wavelength is dark grey light?
  
  --
  Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
7. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by cayenne8 · 2012-02-02 05:30 · Score: 1
  
  "I dunno...I was really drunk at the time..."
  
  --
  Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
8. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 05:31 · Score: 0
  
  you just missed a reference to one of the single greatest rock albums in human history. people who dont really even care for pink floyd still know this line.
  you must not be people, and you speak of the moon as if you have been there.
9. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by mspohr · 2012-02-02 05:31 · Score: 2
  
  All that you touch
  And all that you see
  All that you taste
  All you feel
  And all that you love
  And all that you hate
  All you distrust
  All you save
  And all that you give
  And all that you deal
  And all that you buy Beg, borrow or steal
  And all you create
  And all you destroy
  And all that you do
  And all that you say
  And all that you eat
  And everyone you meet
  And all that you slight
  And everyone you fight
  And all that is now
  And all that is gone
  And all that's to come
  And everything under the sun is in tune
  But the sun is eclipsed by the moon
  "There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact it's all dark."
  
  --
  I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
10. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by camperdave · 2012-02-02 05:39 · Score: 2
  
  Pink Floyd knows nothing about selenology.
  
  --
  When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
11. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by rubycodez · 2012-02-02 05:48 · Score: 1
  
  so you claim you are in darkness if you stand on a black topped parking lot in the Florida Keys at high noon on July? that's an interesting point of view. I said the Sun was brighter, lots of light there at high noon on the moon.
12. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by Sockatume · 2012-02-02 05:50 · Score: 1
  
  It doesn't have one. The mixture of wavelengths isn't even well-defined. It's any light with a spectrum that more-or-less evenly activates the different photoreceptors in the eye. And being "dark grey" it's of low intensity.
  
  --
  No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
13. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by Sockatume · 2012-02-02 05:52 · Score: 1
  
  And I'm trying to avoid any confusion for people who interpret the word "bright" as appearing bright versus being well-illuminated.
  
  --
  No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
14. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by Hatta · 2012-02-02 06:01 · Score: 1
  
  So it's white light.
  
  --
  Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
15. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 06:32 · Score: 0
  
  You have just proved that the grey colour of the of the moon is white light.
  So what wavelength is the orange i'm holding in my hand?
16. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by houghi · 2012-02-02 06:33 · Score: 1
  
  I am sure Pink Floyd will now sue them for all that they have over copyright infringement.
  
  --
  Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
17. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by davewoods · 2012-02-02 07:02 · Score: 1
  
  The same as regular old fashioned white light, but the contrast is just turned down a fair bit.
18. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 07:37 · Score: 0
  
  The moon has pretty low albedo. Most people don't know that, because at night it seems to be bright white, it's really dark gray. Wavelength is only one dimension of color.
19. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by dudpixel · 2012-02-02 14:58 · Score: 1
  
  er, one could claim that the black topped parking lot is "dark".
  No one is claiming that it would be dark if you were standing on the moon, just that the moon itself, is a "dark" colour...
  
  --
  This seemed like a reasonable sig at the time.
20. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by Sockatume · 2012-02-02 21:43 · Score: 1
  
  We have this thing called "luminance" that often distinguishes one colour from another.
  
  --
  No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
21. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by swalve · 2012-02-03 04:36 · Score: 1
  
  Grey isn't a color, it's an intensity.
22. Re:Dark Side of the Moon by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-06 04:06 · Score: 0
  
  Orange and brown are intensities of yellow...
Disappointed by Rik+Sweeney · 2012-02-02 04:31 · Score: 4, Funny

No hidden Nazis, Communist strike force, or Transformers.

--
Summation 2
1. Re:Disappointed by decipher_saint · 2012-02-02 04:58 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  That's no space station. It's a moon!
  
  --
  crazy dynamite monkey
2. Re:Disappointed by El+Torico · 2012-02-02 05:40 · Score: 1
  
  The funniest part of that post is that it's modded 2 - informative currently.
  
  --
  In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is usually crucified.
3. Re:Disappointed by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 06:27 · Score: 0
  
  If moderators find something especially funny we'll often mod +1, Underrated, or +1, Informative instead of +1, Funny. We do this because +1, Funny doesn't give a karma boost to the user (someone coding up Slash thought users shouldn't be rewarded for funny posts, I guess). Combine this with other moderators without a sense of humour modding the post down, and the user could have a +5, Funny post that ultimately costs them karma. Giving it +1 in the other categories serves to counteract this effect.
4. Re:Disappointed by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 09:55 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah, but I'm sure I saw a cow wearing glasses, talking to a scientist on the moon's Far Side.
5. Re:Disappointed by treeves · 2012-02-02 12:00 · Score: 1
  
  Hi, Gary. Been back to Pullman lately?
  
  --
  ...the future crusty old bastards are already drinking the Kool-Aid.
Toto... by ari_j · 2012-02-02 04:32 · Score: 3, Insightful

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.
1. Re:Toto... by zerosomething · 2012-02-02 05:40 · Score: 1
  
  You dolt! You missed a perfectly good opportunity to comment on the Pink Floyd references to make a very cool obscure reference less obscure. I got it though, good work, you do know what I'm talking about don't you...
  
  --
  It all starts at 0
2. Re:Toto... by ari_j · 2012-02-02 06:57 · Score: 1
  
  Wouldn't it be funnier if I didn't?
Did they spot the space nazi base? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 04:33 · Score: 0

After all it's been revealed this is where they're plotting their revenge...
http://www.ironsky.net
Not first Video of the far side of the moon by wisebabo · 2012-02-02 04:33 · Score: 5, Informative

Actually I'm almost positive that this is not the first video of the far side of the moon (and certainly not the first images, that was done by some Russian probe back in the 60s I think).
Not only did the aforementioned Apollo astronauts take moving images (ok, maybe not technically video) of the far side during their orbits but I recall that even the recent Japanese or Chinese lunar probes were transmitting hi-def videos including (I think) a beautiful "earth-rise". Which by definition means they had to be imaging at least part of the far side.
No, this is just the first video of the far side from GRAIL (which is pretty awesome regardless). Now there is a chance that due to the fact that GRAIL entails TWO spacecraft that one could be acting as a relay which would make this the first LIVE video from the far side. But considering the small separation distance of them (less than 100km?) I doubt it.
1. Re:Not first Video of the far side of the moon by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 04:38 · Score: 0
  
  I agree. this article is a huge WTF.
2. Re:Not first Video of the far side of the moon by ModernGeek · 2012-02-02 04:38 · Score: 1
  
  You are completely right. I have seen the videos from the Apollo program that show the far side in great detail. The far side is well mapped. This is barely news. Now maybe once we get the gravity maps and figure out where all the water is for our future moon bases, we will have some good data that's worth something.
  
  --
  Sig: I stole this sig.
3. Re:Not first Video of the far side of the moon by steamraven · 2012-02-02 04:49 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  From the mission page:
  
  NASA's GRAIL mission has beamed back its first video of the far side of the moon. The imagery was taken on Jan. 19 by the MoonKAM aboard the mission's "Ebb" spacecraft.
  
  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/grail/news/grail20120201.html (Emphasis added)
4. Re:Not first Video of the far side of the moon by Paracelcus · 2012-02-02 05:01 · Score: 1
  
  Yup, I remember the famous "earth rise" video taken in the early 70's by one of the Apollo missions!
  
  --
  I killed da wabbit -Elmer Fudd
5. Re:Not first Video of the far side of the moon by Squidlips · 2012-02-02 06:13 · Score: 1
  
  The cameras on GRAIL were an afterthought; they are dinky, cell-phone-grade cameras so we should not be too picky. Photography was not its primary mission...
6. Re:Not first Video of the far side of the moon by instagib · 2012-02-02 06:14 · Score: 1
  
  Especially the crap "video". It actually looks like taken during the 60s, recorded to VHS from TV, transferred to another VHS tape, and then converted to digital by filming it from an old TV with a 10 year old point-and-shoot camera.
7. Re:Not first Video of the far side of the moon by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 06:47 · Score: 0
  
  including (I think) a beautiful "earth-rise". Which by definition means they had to be imaging at least part of the far side
  Um... no. That's completely false. In fact, the exact opposite is true. To see the Earth from the moon, means you are, in fact, on the near side.
8. Re:Not first Video of the far side of the moon by wisebabo · 2012-02-02 07:32 · Score: 1
  
  When you see the earth coming up over the (lunar) horizon, the part of the moon your are seeing BELOW you is the far side because you cannot see the earth from it. (True, it is awfully close to the near side being on the "border" as it is.)
9. Re:Not first Video of the far side of the moon by saveferrousoxide · 2012-02-02 08:43 · Score: 1
  
  nope, sorry, i agree w/ AC. if you can see the earth from the moon, the earth can see you on the moon. i suppose there is some tiny ribbon of the moon where your tripod's feet are not visible, but the camera is, but it's not likely any of the "far" side of the moon would be visible in the shot.
10. Re:Not first Video of the far side of the moon by KingofSpades · 2012-02-02 09:08 · Score: 1
  
  Today, cell phones record in HD.
  Come one, you're sending a probe to the moon and you can't afford an HD camera ? This is nuts !
11. Re:Not first Video of the far side of the moon by mbkennel · 2012-02-02 10:10 · Score: 1
  
  I know the iPhone is the shiznit and all but will its camera withstand cosmic rays, van allen belts, vibration and hot-cold temperature cycles of 200 degrees C, with a probability of failure of less than 1% over a year?
12. Re:Not first Video of the far side of the moon by hal2814 · 2012-02-02 16:57 · Score: 1
  
  So they put an OtterBox on the iPhone. Big deal.
13. Re:Not first Video of the far side of the moon by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-03 06:25 · Score: 0
  
  It depends on where you're located, as shown on this diagram.
  An observer at point A sees the side of the moon facing Earth; an observer at point B sees the side of the moon facing away from Earth.
Now we'll know... by dr_dank · 2012-02-02 04:35 · Score: 2

Now we'll know exactly when to start the Wizard of Oz.

--
Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
1. Re:Now we'll know... by N3Bruce · 2012-02-02 09:48 · Score: 1
  
  When the Lion roars for the third time.
  NASA needs to do a story about Jupiter and monoliths now.
2. Re:Now we'll know... by N3Bruce · 2012-02-02 09:49 · Score: 1
  
  That is, hit Play on your music source when the lion roars for the third time.
Parallel Universe... by omganton · 2012-02-02 04:35 · Score: 1

Somewhere, in a parallel universe where intellectuals run the world, this would be mainstream news. Everybody on Earth looks at the same side of the moon day in and day out... I find this video to be awe inspiring. Oh well.
The Far side... by madhatter256 · 2012-02-02 04:36 · Score: 1

Sorry, you caught me with my pants down, NASA...

--
Previewing comments are for sissies!
Crater witih + sign by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 04:37 · Score: 0

Whats the crater on the bottom right with the PLUS + sign thing in it?
1. Re:Crater witih + sign by Rik+Sweeney · 2012-02-02 04:41 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Whats the crater on the bottom right with the PLUS + sign thing in it?
  Bloody hell, Google's taking the social networking war to the next level.
  
  --
  Summation 2
Near & Far by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 04:38 · Score: 0

>> The side of the moon that faces away from Earth is the far side.
Just so everyone is clear: The side of the moon that faces towards Earth is the near side.
1. Re:Near & Far by sirdude · 2012-02-02 05:16 · Score: 1
  
  Thousands of fourth- to eighth-grade students will select target areas on the lunar surface and send requests to the GRAIL MoonKAM Mission Operations Center in San Diego. Photos of the target areas will be sent back by the satellites for students to study. The MoonKAM program is led by Sally Ride, America's first woman in space. Her team at Sally Ride Science and undergraduate students at the University of California in San Diego will engage middle schools across the country in the GRAIL mission and lunar exploration. GRAIL is NASA's first planetary mission carrying instruments fully dedicated to education and public outreach.
  "We have had great response from schools around the country; more than 2,500 signed up to participate so far," Ride said. "In mid-March, the first pictures of the moon will be taken by students using MoonKAM. I expect this will excite many students about possible careers in science and engineering."
  
  Source
2. Re:Near & Far by Hatta · 2012-02-02 05:20 · Score: 1
  
  Thanks Grover.
  
  --
  Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
3. Re:Near & Far by rust627 · 2012-02-02 18:38 · Score: 1
  
  What does Gary Larson have to say about this ?
  
  --
  da da da dum indeed.
Duh. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 04:38 · Score: 0

Because the moon is tidally locked with Earth, it only presents one face to the planet's surface (the near side). The side of the moon that faces away from Earth is the far side.
News for nerds?
Avoid space.com by sirdude · 2012-02-02 04:41 · Score: 5, Insightful
Could everybody avoid posting links to articles on space.com? They never cite or link to sources and go overboard with interstitial, pop-up and video ads.
Links:
1. Re:Avoid space.com by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 05:42 · Score: 0
  
  Thank you!
2. Re:Avoid space.com by Anne_Nonymous · 2012-02-02 05:53 · Score: 2
  
  >> interstitial
  Its spelled interstellar.
3. Re:Avoid space.com by Ectospheno · 2012-02-02 06:06 · Score: 1
  
  http://adblockplus.org/en/
  I don't see a single ad on space.com. But yes, the never citing sources thing is annoying.
4. Re:Avoid space.com by TheSpoom · 2012-02-02 06:30 · Score: 1
  
  Uh... what?
  
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  It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
  - E. Debs
5. Re:Avoid space.com by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 06:40 · Score: 0
  
  Uh... what?
  Uh... whooosh?
6. Re:Avoid space.com by TheSpoom · 2012-02-02 22:39 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, I thought it could be an attempt at a joke, but didn't seem funny enough to be one.
  
  --
  It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
  - E. Debs
No Nazi's? by Lectoid · 2012-02-02 04:45 · Score: 1

I was told in a documentary called Iron Sky that there was a Nazi base on the other side of the moon.

--
Is it just me, or do you hate it when people say "Is it just me..."?
1. Re:No Nazi's? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 19:20 · Score: 0
  
  They must be using some stealth technology. The base can be clearly seen on some of these trailers
  http://www.facebook.com/ironsky?sk=app_3801015922
  (sorry it's a facebook-link. I cannot now reach youtube directly...NWR)
No house! by allcoolnameswheretak · 2012-02-02 04:45 · Score: 2

In German if someone is kinda ignorant, dumb, or stupid, they are often described as "living behind the moon."
People tend to say that to me often. Now that I have a video of the far side of the moon, finally I will be able to prove to all the idiots that they were WRONG!
1. Re:No house! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 04:56 · Score: 0
  
  Behind the moon is not the same as living on the moon, they could be in a Lagrange position such that the moon continuously eclipses the earth (is that 1 or 2? bah, stupid numbers).
prior art by Trepidity · 2012-02-02 04:49 · Score: 2

From 2007 on YouTube, here is a video. Low-res, admittedly.

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10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Noob Question by OopsIDied · 2012-02-02 04:51 · Score: 5, Interesting

I always wondered, are the speeds of rotation of the moon and Earth so perfectly synced that even after a long time the same side of the moon is facing us? I'd think there might be at least a little speed difference that over the years would cause our view of the moon to shift.
1. Re:Noob Question by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 04:57 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Yes, they are. Also, gravity (via tidal forces) ensures this will be case in the future as well, having caused it in the first place.
2. Re:Noob Question by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 05:00 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  We're tidally locked which means at this point it's most stable for the moon to always face us. If something caused the moon to speed up its rotation a little bit, for instance, tidal locking would force it to slow back down to get back perfectly in sync with Earth. Earth is headed down the same path. I can't remember how many millions or billions of years it'll take, but eventually the Moon will slow down Earth's rotation and Earth will be tidally locked to the Moon, such that the same side of Earth will always be towards the Moon.
3. Re:Noob Question by StormShaman · 2012-02-02 17:51 · Score: 1
  
  Because of libration, we can, over time, see more than 50% of the moon from Earth. But billions of years from now, not only will the moon still be locked with the Earth, but the Earth will be locked with the moon. By then it will have been engulfed by the sun, anyway.
4. Re:Noob Question by fuzzywig · 2012-02-02 21:10 · Score: 1
  
  The really weird thing is that the apparent size of the moon from the surface of the earth, is almost exactly the same as the apparent size of the sun. Hence why, during eclipses, the moon fits perfectly 'over' the sun.
  As far as I know this is just luck that we're at the point in time when this is true (the moon is getting very slowly closer).
Cool by eternaldoctorwho · 2012-02-02 04:55 · Score: 3, Interesting

There are a klot of joking posts here, but I think this really is a cool thing. Maybe I'm biased because I just finished reading Jules Verne's Around the Moon last night. We've certainly come a long way in understanding our nearest neighbor. In the book, it was hypothesized that the far side of the moon had retained an atmosphere and thus possibly supported life. Also, the craters were all thought to be volcanic in origin, but hey, Verne did a pretty good job all-in-all. Just about 100 years later, we did an actual moon fly-by similar to what he has described (only in Apollo's case, it was intentional). Modern day sci-fi writers can learn a thing or two from the greats of the past.
first! by globalist · 2012-02-02 05:00 · Score: 1

Just because it's the first video of the "far side", does it have to be all grainy and short and low-res?
Grrr. First by me doesn't mean first. by mbone · 2012-02-02 05:05 · Score: 4, Informative

Here is a Clue : It's Grail's first video, not anything like the first video.
Never mind Luna 3 in 1959 (which was stills). Never mind Lunar Orbiter (stills) and Apollo (movies). Never mind that Clementine mapped the whole of the Far Side over a decade ago. What about Selene ? It had an HD camera, and sent back video of far side, including cool shots like this one, of Malapert Mt and Shackleton Crater, at the Lunar South Pole, or this video of Tsiolkovsky Crater, deep into the Far Side. These videos are cool, and worth spending some time with.
Yes, but has it detected yet... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 05:40 · Score: 0

...the anomaly that we'll have to go there to dig out?
#insert "Thus_Spake_Zarathustra"
mark "how can I get to the front of the line to go?"
Obviously fake... by AmbushBug · 2012-02-02 05:44 · Score: 1

So obviously fake! I mean, if it were real we'd be able to see the crash site of the Transformer space ship! Yet another NASA cover-up...
Wow by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 05:46 · Score: 0

It took the since the sixties to remove that crashed ship from the pictures??
Tidal Lock? by ArmchairGeneral · 2012-02-02 06:03 · Score: 1

Can someone explain why it is referred to as tidal locking? I understand the physics, but the name seems like an odd choice.
1. Re:Tidal Lock? by osu-neko · 2012-02-02 06:12 · Score: 2
  
  Can someone explain why it is referred to as tidal locking? I understand the physics, but the name seems like an odd choice.
  My first temptation is to explain the physics, but you claim to already understand that. But if that were the case, you would already understand the answer to your question, too. So I'm confused about what you're actually asking. I'll simply refer you here: Tidal locking. Once you understand what tidal locking is and how it occurs, why it's called that should be completely obvious.
  
  --
  "Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."
Can you see the whalers? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 06:04 · Score: 0

Can you see the whalers?
1973 Video of Dark Side of the Moon by theodp · 2012-02-02 07:05 · Score: 1

Pink Floyd - 1973 - Dark Side Of The Moon
central uplift by White+Yeti · 2012-02-02 07:21 · Score: 1

The peak in the center of crater Drygalski is an "uplift", which is common in craters. The Wikipedia page on impact craters describes this briefly and has other nice images. These LPI lunar maps helped me identify the crater itself.
Pink Floyd by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 07:37 · Score: 0

Yeah, as that would result in a more handy title for the Pink Floyd album "The Farther Side of the Moon as Measured in a Geocentric Coordinate System".
1. Re:Pink Floyd by mbkennel · 2012-02-02 10:12 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Chewie I've got a bad feeling about this.
Forget about mating; study science instead! by mevets · 2012-02-02 07:39 · Score: 1

Considering this text, I can't imagine why the interest in science education is waning...
Took a month by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-02 23:06 · Score: 0

It took them a month to release this video.. Plenty of time to photoshop those moonbases out of the video..

No hidden Nazis, Communist strike force, or Transformers.
no subject by don_oles · 2012-02-03 00:43 · Score: 0

again the same lies about people visiting moon in 60th and 70th.
no end to american propaganda.
The Dark Side... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-03 02:55 · Score: 0

The inside is pretty dark...