Apollo 15 landing site is strikingly clear in image captured from Earth

Live Science ^ | 01 February 2021 | Nicoletta Lanese -

[BenLurkin]

Scientists captured this striking image of the Apollo 15 landing site by shooting a powerful radar signal from Earth into space and bouncing it off the lunar surface.

The thin, meandering channel running through the middle of the image is the Hadley Rille, a scar left on the moon after past volcanic activity, likely a collapsing lava tube, according to a statement from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). The circular dent pictured near the rille is Hadley C, a crater about 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) in diameter.

Scientists spent two years developing the technology to take these detailed images of the moon from Earth, and now, they can capture snapshots of lunar objects as small as 16.4 feet (5 meters) across from about 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers) away. In the future, the researchers plan to develop the technology further, to the point where they can throw radar signals out to the far reaches of the solar system and capture images of Uranus and Neptune, which at their closest are 1.6 billion miles (2.6 billion km) and 2.7 billion miles (4.3 billion km) from Earth, respectively, according to Space.com.

[jerod]

Another story about a picture with no picture. Thanks to those who actually did post the pictures.

[dragnet2]

Might happen. Btw, this radar image is pretty impressive. I'd equate that to flying in an aircraft above the surface at about 12k feet or so. Just a guess.

[BenLurkin]

One of the Apollo golf balls was recovered by aliens and taken to the planet Gorb. It was highly prized but somehow lost, and somewhere along its path acquired a coat of black lacquer.

For years a fat alien, a fey alien, and a red headed female alien roamed planet Glorb searching for it. They thought they had finally found it, but it was a only fake which they left in the possession of a seedy private detective.

He declared it to be the stuff dreams are made of.

[BenLurkin]

That was me.

[Salamander]

[llevrok]

We can find single rocks on the moon from earth but can’t find Hitlerys emails that are right under our nose. Go figure

[ctdonath2]

[Salamander]

:D

[mmichaels1970]

I want to see the flag

I remember seeing a documentary that claimed the flag would be sun bleached completely white.

[bigbob]

At this rate before long we’ll be able to see the flag.

[mmichaels1970]

I definitely heard that the flag was white. Hadn’t heard it had fallen though.

[algore]

there are several non-classified satellites orbiting the Moon.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter: Polar mapping orbit, mission by NASA.

ARTEMIS (two spacecraft): “Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun”. ARTEMIS P1 and P2 orbit the Moon right now.

[smokingfrog]

I think “sun bleaching” might involve oxidation, but there would be little or no oxygen on the moon.

[Salamander]

Cool.

My favorite things to watch on the idiot box are the archaeological discoveries being made via satellite images.

[algore]

The story is that the flag fell when the lander launched.

I never heard we took a surrender flag?

Although i did see a movie something like that

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4lJAw_BtM2g

Worth watching just for their imagining of first female president..

[mmichaels1970]

Found a pretty good link about the bleached speculation. Saw a couple of other articles saying the nylon would have disintegrated. That the first flag wasn’t meant to stay and would have been knocked over and destroyed by ignition gases from the return liftoff. All very interesting to think about for me.

Over the course of the Apollo program, our astronauts deployed six American flags on the Moon. For forty-odd years, the flags have been exposed to the full fury of the Moon’s environment – alternating 14 days of searing sunlight and 100° C heat with 14 days of numbing-cold -150° C darkness. But even more damaging is the intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the pure unfiltered sunlight on the cloth (modal) from which the Apollo flags were made. Even on Earth, the colors of a cloth flag flown in bright sunlight for many years will eventually fade and need to be replaced. So it is likely that these symbols of American achievement have been rendered blank, bleached white by the UV radiation of unfiltered sunlight on the lunar surface. Some of them may even have begun to physically disintegrate under the intense flux.

[ThunderSleeps]

With favorable geometry - the right angles and variation in angle over time - yes, with wideband processing and sensitive enough receivers you *should* be able to make pretty good images. I don’t have time to do the math, but my guess would be you could beat the 16 or 17 foot pixel resolution of optical equipment.

[mmichaels1970]

To me, whether our flag is standing in its red, white, and blue glory, or stands bleached white, or lay in a scattered pile of mere chemicals, I think, paraphrasing Key: “Our flag is still there!”

She’s a testament to a crowning achievement in the history of mankind. All of you boomers and older out there have accomplished some amazing stuff! Hats off.

[smokingfrog]

I didn’t think about the UV light. That would probably do it.

[lurk]

A clear photo from a quarter million miles. Goods thing they’re not watching us with that technology.