Saturday, July 18, 2009

Images of Apollo sites from lunar orbit

Here are the first LRO photographs of Apollo landing sites. The one of Apollo 14 is especially clear, showing the descent stage of the Antares lunar module, the instruments and work sites, and even the footpaths left by the astronauts. Upcoming images are expected to show even more detail. Think about what you are seeing: the ghosts of human presence on another world.
This comes as one DC rumor says we may slip the Project Constellation lunar return to 2028 - eight years, making for a budget-driven slip as long as the time between JFK's speech and the landing of Apollo 11. What is is about the simple phrase "NASA gets one-half of one percent of the national budget" that people cannot understand?
Finally, farewell to Walter Cronkite, who reported with accuracy and passion on the voyages to the moon. It's been suggested we name a crater near an Apollo site for Walter. We should.

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