MetaFilter posts tagged with moon

Explore the Surface of Mercury

SpringAquifer — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:37:43 -0800

NASA's MESSENGER team (previously: 1, 2, 3), with help from the U.S. Geological Survey, released yesterday the first global map of the planet Mercury. The map stitches together images from MESSENGER's three recent flybys of the planet with those from Mariner 10, which saw about 45% of the planet in the mid-1970s. While a seemingly simple task, "the challenging part has been to make cartographically accurate maps from a series of images with varying resolution (from about 100 to 900 meters per pixel) and lighting conditions (from noontime high Sun to dawn and dusk) taken from a spacecraft traveling at speeds greater than 2 kilometers per second (2,237 miles per hour)." This map serves an "extremely important use as a planning tool" and signifies that MESSENGER "is no longer a flyby mission but instead will soon become an in-depth, non-stop global observatory of the Solar System’s innermost planet.” Also available to explore on the USGS's Map-a-Planet website: Venus, the Moon, Mars, Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, Io, Rhea, Dione, Tethys, Iapetus, and Enceladus.

"Terraforming would be to create an uncontained planetary biosphere emulating all the functions of the biosphere of the Earth" M.J. Fogg

localhuman — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:27:49 -0800

NASA scientists claim to have found significant amounts of water, after successfully bombing the moon last month. This may have implications on possible Terraforming efforts as well as NASA's goal to understand the nature and distribution of habitable environments in the Universe. What might it look like?

Punky Power 2009

WCityMike — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:48:51 -0800

Sometimes, there just aren't words: Punky Power 2009. (For those having no idea what's being referenced, linkage.)

Where am I now? Travelin' 1.18km/s(2646mph). 70,289km from the Moon. 19 hrs! RU Excited? I am! #lcross

filthy light thief — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:55:27 -0800

On October 9th, NASA spacecraft will run into the moon, and on purpose. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) and its rocket's Centaur upper stage will impact the moon, with the goal of sending some of the (possibly present) ice above the lunar surface. Once out of the eternal shade of the moon's south pole, sunlight will break the ice up into H+ and OH- molecules, which can be detected by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). The initial impact site was the crater Cabeus A, but the target was later changed to Cabeus (proper), selected for highest hydrogen concentrations with the greatest level of certainty, and for the high-contrast back drop to detect ejecta and vapor measurements. NASA has provided guides for amateur observations of the impact, a facebook group, and a Twitter feed so you don't miss the moment.

Things To Be Found On The Moon

yegga — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:42:01 -0800

Things To Be Found On The Moon

Lunar Jamming

Korou — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:28:13 -0800

Moon Music: moonbell generates sounds based on lunar topography. (via) Topographical data is from Japan's recent KAGUYA explorer. Here's a short guide for the generator.

Moon turns out to be giant tree

dearsina — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:50:07 -0800

A rock given to the Netherlands as a gift by the American Ambassador to commemorate the Apollo-11 moon landing is tested and found to be nothing but petrified wood. Expect a "I told you so" from your neighbourhood conspiracy theorist at any moment. Looking forward to reading about your favourite encounter with / link to conspiracy theorists!

Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is.

loquacious — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:23:55 -0800

Space is really big. A perspective on the Earth and Moon from the view of a pixel.

Begone ye earthling creatures bold, there are no women here.

tellurian — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 17:14:06 -0800

Disney's Man and the Moon (1 of 6). One-horned unigoats versus SCIENCE! featuring Werner von Braun who, to the nose adds a small atomic reactor in preparation for [cue dramatic music] a trip around the moon. [via]

Apollo 11 Source Code

chunking express — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 08:48:15 -0800

The Apollo 11 Command Module code (Comanche054) and Lunar Module code (Luminary099) have been open sourced.

Let the Eagle Soar

designbot — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:38:42 -0800

40 years ago today, a man walked on the frickin' Moon. [prev iously]

The Lunar Orbiter's Kodak moment

prinado — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:16:01 -0800

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has returned its first images of the Apollo moon landing sites. The spacecraft’s onboard camera photographed Lunar Module descent stages at five of the six Apollo sites—11, 14, 15, 16, and 17. The Apollo 12 site will be photographed in coming weeks. The Apollo 14 image is particularly interesting: ideal lighting conditions resolve additional details, including the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package and the tracks left by the astronauts’ footprints and/or the Modularized Equipment Transporter, a 2-wheeled, rickshaw type cart for carrying around tools, cameras and sample cases on the lunar surface. These first images were captured before the spacecraft reached its final mapping orbit—future images of the Apollo sites will have two to three times greater resolution.

Land, Eagle, Land

Miko — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:48:18 -0800

We Chose the Moon: The JFK Library and Museum has just launched this interactive web experience using archival audio, video, photos, and recorded transmissions to re-create, in real time, the July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 mission to the moon.

Happy 40th anniversary, mankind.

sexyrobot — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:01:13 -0800

Moon Landing Tapes Found! All the videos you've seen of the first moon landing are crap. Remember, back in the day, video cameras and recorders were two different things. So it went like this: camera on moon sends footage to Australia, where it's recorded on tape (and then those tapes were lost), then downsized onto a smaller monitor, which is filmed by another video camera, uploaded to satellite, and disseminated around the world. America watches it on TV, cheers. Some of this footage is filmed off of a television onto 16mm film. This is what goes into the national archives. Crap. So, the original tapes have been found (spoiler: they never left Australia). So what, right? How good could they be, recorded back in the late 60's and all? Pretty darn good, apparently...seems recording heads were much better than the output available at the time (like playing a Blu-Ray disc on a B&W TV), and several recent projects have shown that it's possible to extract very high resolution data from these old analog tapes. How hi-rez? High enough to see Neil Armstrong's nipples get hard. (be sure to click on that picture) So when can we see this amazing footage? Probably soon.

HD videos from Kaguya

Rinku — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 21:07:51 -0800

The lunar orbital spacecraft Selene, better known by its Japanese name Kaguya, has been sending back some incredible HD video, including some of Earth rising and the Moon's surface. Many more videos from (and about) Kaguya here, with English versions of some here. Kaguya, named after the moon princess in perhaps Japan's oldest folktale, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, will impact the surface of the moon on June 10th. Kaguya previously.

Literal lunacy.

myopicman — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:15:02 -0800

Back in 2002, 4 interns pulled off an unusual heist: they stole a quarter tonne of moon rocks under NASA's nose, which reads like a surreal pulp. [via jwz] It's a mix of social engineering and bizarre science, handy on the off-chance you're looking for an extra-terrestrial gemstone.

Lunar Leftovers.

gman — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:03:46 -0800

How the Moon Became a Trash Can. "The biggest trash can outside of earth's atmosphere is in fact the moon."

Cassini. Camera. Saturn.

Saturn XXIII — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 07:56:21 -0800

NASA's Cassini spacecraft went to Saturn and all it got were these awesome pictures.

Breakfast at Sulimay's

vronsky — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:13:36 -0800

Breakfast at Sulimay's with Bill, Moon, Joe and Ann: 1 featuring reviews of The Thermals, Joanna Newsom, The Decemberists, and Clipse. l 2 with The Knife, Deerhoof, and Paul Wall featuring 'lil Keke. l 5 with Asha, TI, Toby Mac. 6 with the Shins , !!!, and Common. l 7 with Bjork , Wilco , and Black Reble Motorcycle club. l 9 with Santogold, Portishead and Death Cab for Cutie! more (v) yt

Mankind up close and personal

Substrata — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 13:18:32 -0800

One Small Step (HQ footage) I was surprised to see this as I didn’t even know it existed. It gives a different perspective on some of the most famous footage in history! You can see Buzz reflected in the lander window, and even hear Houston telling him how to set camera. Via

"I think Isaac Newton is doing most of the driving now."

Snyder — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:07:50 -0800

Forty Years Ago Today The first humans to leave earth orbit, Frank Borman, James A. Lovell, and William A. Anders, and their Christmas message. More information of the flight here and here. The 3 astronauts reflect 40 years later.

Mythbusters takes on the Moon Hoax!

Sir Mildred Pierce — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:30:22 -0800

Has man really set foot on the moon? There have certainly been a lot of claims that the whole Apollo missions were one giant hoax. Adam and Jamie at Mythbusters examine the claims of the Hoax Believers one by one. Did they use a wire rig or slow down the film to simulate the 1/6 moon gravity? What would it look like in real 1/6 G? Would a footprint in the lunar regolith have maintained it's shape even if there was no moisture to keep the material together? Why was the flag waving so much if there was no wind on the moon? Why are the shadows on the moon not parallel if they are coming from a single light source? Why can we see the astronauts when they are in shadows if there isn't a second light source? To finish it all off they shoot a laser at the moon to see if the reflector they supposedly left there is actually there.

Do we really want that Moon base?

spaceviking — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:01:37 -0800

An election of a new President brings forth new ideas on the Vision for Space Exploration. The Planetary Society is lobbying to remove the Moon from the equation, which prompted Apollo astronaut, ex-senator, and geologist Harrison Schmitt to resign from the board in protest. Meanwhile moon-free plans proliferate. What will Obama do? Interesting hints are given in a position paper written by people associated with his transition team. The Planetary Society Responds. More analysis here.

Congratulations, India!

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:40:55 -0800

India's lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1, has just reached the moon. G. Madhavan Nair, Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, told reporters, "The last 20 minutes were so critically important, I can say my heart skipped a beat or two." Here are some hi-res photos of Earth, taken by Chandrayaan-1.

Moon OK Please

ageispolis — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 01:08:20 -0800

"India on Wednesday became the sixth nation to launch a moon mission when indigenously built PSLV-C11 rocket blasted off from the spaceport here carrying with it Chandrayaan-I, which will map the lunar surface." For India, The Future Is Here. A video of the launch. An official photo gallery. Previously.