Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project Releases New Image
A Lunar Orbiter Image Last Seen 47 Years Ago
“After being forgotten for nearly 47 years, three high resolution images taken by the Lunar Orbiter II spacecraft have been rediscovered by the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project (LOIRP). It is unlikely that anyone has seen these images since they were sent back to Earth. Indeed, it is unlikely that very many people saw them at that time either. The three high resolution images were taken along with a medium resolution image on 23 November 1966 at 17:05:39 GMT. The center point of the images was 26.94 West Longitude, 3.196 degrees North Latitude. The images were taken at an altitude of 43.6 km and the image resolution is 0.93 meters.”
From the article “So, if one or more ground stations did not record data the first time it was sent, there was no second chance.” I wonder how pressured the people working at the DSN stations felt. Other than that, these lunar orbiters, ground processing, etc. is very fascinating. Developing film on spacecraft, scanning and sending TV images back, and it is all so tedious and the amount of attention to detail. Unlike these days just rig up a GoPro or a smartphone, and use Photoshop to enhance image.
technology moves on…..
The Kodak BiMAT system was used, which worked on the same principle as the Polaroid process. Amazing how well it worked.
“After being forgotten for nearly 47 years”
“a medium resolution image on 23 November 1996”
It’s 2043?? Wow, has time flown…
Oops. (and yes, I saw down farther in the article that the date should be 1966.. just having some fun…. 🙂 )