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"The Ghost In The Machine" <ewill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:15el64-1k2.ln1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
| In sci.physics, malibu
| <vegan16@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
| wrote
| on 31 Dec 2006 08:41:07 -0800
| <1167583267.499479.11810@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
| > Amazing, isn't it? NASA's Opportunity rover, which has been slowly
| > travelling across the surface of Mars to return to us so many wonderful
| > pictures, has itself been imaged from space.
|
| Yes...from a satellite orbiting Mars. Hubble can't see it; it doesn't
| have the resolution. (Hubble can't even see the flag on the moon.)
|
| > It's image was taken by
| > the orbiting Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter from an altitude of 297
| > kilometres. The picture's resolution is so good that the rover's
| > tracks can be seen, as well as its shadow across the ground.
| > Individual boulders, of 2 metres length, are resolved from a height of
| > 300 kilometres!
| >
| > Well, we all know how amazing imaging technology has become these days,
| > and we hear about satellites orbiting Earth being able to take the most
| > incredibly detailed images from space. Google Earth must be child's
| > play compared to the advanced Department of Defence instrumentation in
| > space.
| >
| > This is all very well, until we come to talk about the surface of the
| > Moon. Because, at that point, we are told that there is no possibility
| > of the Apollo lunar lander modules left on the Moon's surface being
| > imaged using today's technology.
|
| Not from LEO. Maybe from something like Clementine with higher
| resolution capability.
|
| > We are told that the 1999 Clementine
| > DoD lunar satellite was incapable of imaging the equipment left by NASA
| > astronauts. That the Hubble Space Telescope is similarly unable to
| > pick out these landers.
| >
| > Hmmm. And all the moon pictures were 'lost' when they
| > were sent to be digitized.
| >
| > Anybody smell a great big government rat?
|
| Only you. In any event *something* is up there; routine laser-ranging
| is done from Earth to Moon using Moon-placed corner reflectors. One
| might quibble about what put them up there, of course, but there are
| five (although only four can be used; the fifth one, which was a Russian
| lander, apparently fell over or something).
Obviously "malibu" didn't see this "scam".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C5_dOEyAfk
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