Pre Apollo Lunar Orbiter, Clementine & Surveyor Images.

[3488]

Given the recent activity in Lunar Exploration, & given an idea by another thread,<br />thought now would be a good time to look at previous unmanned Lunar Exploration.<br /><br />Some of the detail in the Lunar Orbiter 5 images of Copernicus show detail to only <br />ONE METRE per pixel (bear in mind SELENE 8 metres & Chang'e 1 120 metres).<br /><br />Lunar Orbiter 5 Copernicus Crater Floor.<br /><br />Lunar Orbiter 5 Copernicus Crater Floor 2.<br /><br />Lunar Orbiter 5 Copernicus Crater Floor 3.<br /><br />Crater Copernicus small frozen lava lake on eastern wall Lunar Orbiter 5.<br /><br />Detail of North East Copernicus Crater wall Lunar Orbiter 5.<br /><br />Detail of Eastern Copernicus Crater wall Lunar Orbiter 5.<br /><br />Lunar Orbiter 5 Aristarchus boulders. <br /><br />Lunar Orbiter 5 Aristarchus floor.<br /><br />Lunar Orbiter 5 Aristarchus south wall.<br /><br />Lunar Farside high reso Latitude: 41.85°Longitude: 109.39°Lunar Orbiter 5.<br /><br />http://www.lpi</safety_wrapper <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[bearack]

You seem to have a plethora of new and historical images. Thank you so much for allowing people, such as myself the opportunity to have a single place to enjoy all of these.<br /><br />Thanks!<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><br /><img id="06322a8d-f18d-4ab1-8ea7-150275a4cb53" src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/6/14/06322a8d-f18d-4ab1-8ea7-150275a4cb53.Large.jpg" alt="blog post photo" /></p> </div>

 

[3488]

Hi Bearack,<br /><br />You are more than welcome. I absolutely love this stuff & there is STILL much to be learned<br />from the 1960s Lunar Orbiters. <br /><br />True, very 20th Century technology, but carried out 21st Century science, well <br />ahead of their time. It is worth noting, the cameras, recorded the image onto CAMERA FILM,<br />which was processed in a minilab aboard the orbiters, in which the film was scanned<br />& the image essentially was a FAX of the image on the film, beamed back.<br /><br />Yet despite this seemingly cumbersome method ALL FIVE Lunar Orbiters, returned images<br />of some areas of the moon, with resolutions of ONE METRE. <br /><br />Nothing since, even the Apollo Framing Cameras or Clementine or SMART 1 have improved on.<br /><br />They even trump both SELENE & Chang'e 1, both highly advanced modern craft.<br /><br />Only the Lunar Reconnaisnce Orbiter is likely to top the 1960s Orbiters with its LROC, potentially<br />with 30 cm resolution.<br /><br />The Lunar Orbiters, were well ahead of their time IMHO & their images, still teach us new things<br />over 40 years on.<br /><br />Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[3488]

Hi Anthmartian.<br /><br />Thank you very much for the Soviet links. I love the Zond 8 material you linked too.<br /><br />As you say, so much has been forgotten, or put on the back burner, when I think<br />the Zond 8 links you have provided, like the Lunar Orbiters, still have information, we<br />can learn new things from.<br /><br />Latitude: 0.22°Longitude: 34.59° Lunar Orbiter 1.<br /><br />Earth over the Moon Lunar Orbiter 1.<br /><br />Latitude: 2.07° Longitude: 8.13° Lunar Orbiter 1.<br /><br />Earth over Moon again Lunar Orbiter 1.<br /><br />Moon looking down onto the Northen Polar regions, Lunar Orbiter 4.<br /><br />Section of Mare Frigoris, Lunar Orbiter 4.<br /><br />Mare Orientale Lunar Orbiter 4.<br /><br />Mare Orientale, northern outer section, Lunar Orbiter 4.<br /><br />Mare Orientale, eastern section, Lunar Orbiter 4.<br /><br />Mare Orientale, South eastern section, Lunar Orbiter 4.<br /><br />http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunarorbiter/images/print/41</safety_wrapper <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[3488]

Can I ask, what has happened to Anthmartian's excellent, informative post with those <br />fantastic Zond 8 & Soviet Luna Landers links went??<br /><br />There was no violation of TOS or anything & he certainly was not trolling, in fact exactly the <br />opposite.<br /><br />Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[anthmartian]

Andrew, <br /><br />i re looked at the topic title and deleted my stuff, as i got a bit worried i might be taking your thread off in an unwanted direction. You do great work here, and i did not want to spoil what i thought had potential to be a great subject.<br /><br />But, as you liked the images and info so much i will set things right again! <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br /><br />zond 8<br /><br />Zond-8 flew by the Moon on October 24, 1970 and returned to Earth with high quality photographs, some from as close as 1350 km. Images were shot with the 400 mm AFA-BAM camera, on 13 × 18 cm frames of isopanchromatic film. A session of 20 full-Moon pictures was followed by a session of 78 Lunar-surface pictures (including 17 shots of the Earth over the Lunar horizon).<br /><br />http://www.mentallandscape.com/C_Zond08_01detail.jpg<br /><br />http://www.mentallandscape.com/C_Zond08_59detail.jpg<br /><br />http://www.mentallandscape.com/C_Zond08_X38detail.jpg<br /><br />http://www.mentallandscape.com/C_Zond08_64.jpg<br /><br />http://www.mentallandscape.com/C_Zond07_3.jpg<br /><br />There are lots more Soviet Moon images here...<br /><br />http://www.mentallandscape.com/C_CatalogMoon.htm<br /><br />the above site belongs to Don Mitchell, who has done amazing work restoring Soviet space images. Most famously the venara landscapes.<br /><br />Thanks for your concern Andrew. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />A great topic as i have said. i look forward to following it. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em>"Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy! Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star, or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?"</em></font></p><p><font color="#33cccc"><strong>Han Solo - 1977 - A long time ago in a galaxy far far away....</strong></font></p><p><br /><br />Click Here And jump over to my site.<br /></p> </div>

 

[moonmadness]

NICE!!<br /><br />I don't believe I have ZOND pics. Till now. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>I'm not a rocket scientist, but I do play one on the TV in my mind.</p> </div>

 

[richalex]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>True, very 20th Century technology, but carried out 21st Century science, well <br />ahead of their time. It is worth noting, the cameras, recorded the image onto CAMERA FILM, <br />which was processed in a minilab aboard the orbiters, in which the film was scanned <br />& the image essentially was a FAX of the image on the film, beamed back. <br /><br />Yet despite this seemingly cumbersome method ALL FIVE Lunar Orbiters, returned images <br />of some areas of the moon, with resolutions of ONE METRE. <br /><br />Nothing since, even the Apollo Framing Cameras or Clementine or SMART 1 have improved on.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote>Interesting and valuable stuff, but I think you have exaggerated the relative quality of these pre-Apollo shots. In the first place, not all of the pre-Apollo photos have a resolution of 1 meter. In fact, most don't. The resolution is closer to 40 meters in most of the pre-Apollo photos, as indicated by the table found at National Space Science Data Center: "Detailed Information on Lunar Orbiters and Images". <br /><br />In the second place, the Apollo photos had resolutions at least as good, particularly those that were taken on the lunar surface. <br /><br />Here is an online archive of Apollo photos with resolutions down to 6.2 meters: <br /><br />ASU Apollo Image Archive

 

[anthmartian]

Rich Alex: I am not quite sure what you seem to be getting at? It is no exagaration to say what was said, because it is the truth. At times, and in places the resolution on these older missions was just as was stated. Even your figures of 40 metres is still proving the point that was being made.<br /><br />Regarding Apollo, i have seen many awesome images from Apollo like everybody else. But, i would assume this topic has come about because of the recent "unmanned" activity at our Moon. <br /><br />Therefore the comparisons are between unmanned probes.<br /><br />Thanks for the links. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em>"Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy! Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star, or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?"</em></font></p><p><font color="#33cccc"><strong>Han Solo - 1977 - A long time ago in a galaxy far far away....</strong></font></p><p><br /><br />Click Here And jump over to my site.<br /></p> </div>

 

[3488]

I understood that the Lunar Orbiters got the highest resolutions of the most likely Apollo <br />sites. A lot of attention was paid to Crater Copernicus, as the cancelled Apollo 19<br />was due to land astronauts on the central mountains, or at the base of them on the crater floor.<br /><br />Lunar Orbiters 3 & 4 were freed up to enter polar orbits, as the first three achieved <br />the Apollo landing site selection purposes, so Lunar Orbiters 3 & 4 were freed up <br />to carry out Lunar Science, as well as validte landing sites.<br /><br />Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[3488]

Missed this earlier item.<br /><br />Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>