A Second Look at Apollo 11

October 1, 2009

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LROC's second look at the Apollo 11 landing site. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University

A month after LROC's first image of the Apollo 11 landing site was acquired, LRO passed over again providing the LROC instrument a new view of the historic site.

This time the Sun was 28 degrees higher in the sky, making for smaller shadows and bringing out subtle brightness differences on the surface.

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Enlargement showing Tranquility Base. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University

The astronaut path to the TV camera is visible, and you may even be able to see the camera stand (arrow). You can identify two parts of the Early Apollo Science Experiments Package (EASEP), the Lunar Ranging Retro Reflector (LRRR) and the Passive Seismic Experiment (PSE). Neil Armstrong's tracks to Little West crater (33 meter diameter) are also visible (unlabeled arrow).

Launched on June 18, LRO carries seven scientific instruments, all of which are currently undergoing calibration and testing prior to the spacecraft reaching its primary mission orbit. The LROC instrument comprises three cameras -- two high-resolution Narrow Angle Cameras and one lower resolution Wide Angle Camera.

Provided by JPL/NASA (news : web)

• BigTone - Oct 01, 2009
  • Rank: 4 / 5 (6)
  The moon landing conspiracy theorists are just plain silly - photos and articles like this need to make it mainstream...
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• YawningDog - Oct 01, 2009
  • Rank: 2.4 / 5 (8)
  Am I the only one who noticed that they forgot to put in the flag when the retouched the photo?
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• Bob_Kob - Oct 02, 2009
  • Rank: 1 / 5 (4)
  ...and this pixel over here is the space ship, and this little pixel over here is the flag..
  
  
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• dionliddell - Oct 02, 2009
  • Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
  We really need to stop stalling and get back up there.
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• iknow - Oct 02, 2009
  • Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
  I'm really trying to make out anything on this... all I see are craters and some more craters. Admittedly with 200m scale shown, cant see detail anyway.
  
  Is this really the best shot they could have had of this?
  It seems they used that $90 student camera trick for this. A bit like not bringing a telescope to the best place to observe stars and having jeeps instead.
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• ZeroDelta - Oct 02, 2009
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  They are reluctant to let loose high res images because then everyone would see thet someone has clearly visited the site since we were there in '69.
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• SmartK8 - Oct 02, 2009
  • Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
  ZeroDelta: Well, at least the crews of Apollo 14 to 17. So twelve people. But I don't see any reason why shouldn't they publish high-res images because of that. ;)
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• Mercury_01 - Oct 03, 2009
  • Rank: 3 / 5 (2)
  By chance was anyone able to read my last post before it was "moderated"? We got people up there suggesting the photos were retouched, and others suggesting something mysterious about visitors, but apparently I cant speak one sentence about who started the moon hoax.
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• lengould100 - Oct 05, 2009
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  I see the "conspiracy" nutjobs are at it again..... oh well. There's absolutely nothing possible to prove moon landings happened, to some people. Wierd that they're often that same people who take the bible fantasy as factual. Just trying for a few minutes of noteriety at a nerds convention.
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• Allaytros - Oct 05, 2009
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  The moon landing happened, but the communists didn't want people to believe that America had won the race to the moon. During the cold war the communists tried to cast doubts on the veracity of the American landing through rumor and an invented "conspiracy". It was a simple misinformation tactic designed to undermine the American achievement. The conspiracy theorists have no idea that they are buying into a communist plot.
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