Soyuz - Space Adventures lunar flyby trips

[cjolley]

I wonder what the highly reflective material in some of the features on the left is? Not a photographic artifact. they're visible in the 2009 images too.

Crop circles.

[UtwigMU]

Arguments against areal pictures:
- surveyor probe in photograph is oriented differently on one site than in areal picture
- the footpaths are too dark
- some features claimed to be part of landing sites were photographed by orbiter before lunar landings


I don't want to argue this but the only argument not debunked is the tape swing time which is correct according with Lunar gravity.

[Dr Mordrid]

I wonder what the highly reflective material in some of the features on the left is? Not a photographic artifact. they're visible in the 2009 images too.

Sunlit rocks enhanced by their imaging software. NASA & DoD use image analysis software to bring out hidden details. This is the same kind of s/w used in the analysis of spy-sat & space probe video and still images, forensic science imagery, digital mammograms, MRI's, CAT scans etc. etc. One of the best of the NASA spin-offs.

At least one of the Google Lunar X-Prize entrants (Astrobotic - Carnegie Mellon Univ.) is a rover that would as one of its possible mission profiles approach an Apollo site with a HD 3D video camera and still cameras, streaming as it travels. They can't approach too closely as the Apollo sites are historical and protected from being disturbed, but not so much that a telephoto lens couldn't document it. Launches will be on a SpaceX Falcon 9.

http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/

http://astrobotic.net/

PITTSBURGH, PA – February 6, 2011 – Astrobotic Technology Inc. today announced it has signed a contract with SpaceX to launch Astrobotic’s robotic payload to the Moon on a Falcon 9. The expedition will search for water and deliver payloads, with the robot narrating its adventure while sending 3D video. The mission could launch as soon as December 2013.

The Falcon 9 upper stage will sling Astrobotic on a four-day cruise to the Moon. Astrobotic will then orbit the moon to align for landing. The spacecraft will land softly, precisely and safely using technologies pioneered by Carnegie Mellon University for guiding autonomous cars. The rover will explore for three months, operate continuously during the lunar days, and hibernate through the lunar nights. The lander will sustain payload operations with generous power and communications.

“The mission is the first of a serial campaign,” said Dr. William “Red” Whittaker, chairman of Astrobotic Technology and founder of the university’s Field Robotics Center. “Astrobotic’s missions will pursue new resources, deliver rich experiences, serve new customers and open new markets. Spurred further by incentives, contracts, and the Google Lunar X PRIZE, this is a perfect storm for new exploration.”
>

Astrobotic

[VJ]

The NASA Apollo pictures are however interesting:

While I don't believe in moon conspiracy, I found the shadow lines initially a bit off-throwing. The Mythbusters episode commented on some of those photos, and there it became clear: the thing you are forgetting when you say that the shadow lines should be parallel is that the moon surface is not flat. The relief can cause some distortions and can explain counter-intuitive shadows. From the photos, the relief is difficult to assess.

The last photo was explained by considering the reflectiveness of the moon surface. It is more reflective than earth surfaces, and enough the illuminate the astronaut.

I'm sure the photo's and images have been edited a great deal to make them more appealing (consider this was 50 years ago), but the editing probably was fairly limited (even though they probably used the best around) and not digital. In my opinion, this could explain why some things are brighter than we would expect them to be as well; e.g. by trying to stretch the dynamic range, or to make details visible that would not be visible without enhancements.