Updates LRO/LCROSS News and Updates

Looking at those pictures, you know the Moon can be a pretty creepy place, with all the shadows. Very film-noir. I imagine standing on the edge of a depression or a valley with a low sun and looking into that dark, silent space. The stillness, the lack of vibrant colors, the knowledge that this cratered sister planet of ours has been with us since before the first humans, silently watching us. All that wide-open, desolate land, unseen by any eyes, waiting. And so beautiful, too. A shame so much of the universe has gone and will go unseen and unappreciated by anyone.

At least we get to see this. I'd really like to see it in person.
 
Looking at those pictures, you know the Moon can be a pretty creepy place, with all the shadows. Very film-noir. I imagine standing on the edge of a depression or a valley with a low sun and looking into that dark, silent space. The stillness, the lack of vibrant colors, the knowledge that this cratered sister planet of ours has been with us since before the first humans, silently watching us. All that wide-open, desolate land, unseen by any eyes, waiting. And so beautiful, too. A shame so much of the universe has gone and will go unseen and unappreciated by anyone.

At least we get to see this. I'd really like to see it in person.

I can respond to this with the words of poet Maximillian Voloshin who wrote much under impression of clear and dark Cimmerian nights (and possibly under impression of Camille Flammarion's books). Here are several sonnets from his 'Lunaria' sonnet sequence written in 1913... I hope my mundane translation won't spoil the spirit of the poetry:

Code:
               9                                            Sonnet IX

И сладостен и жутко безотраден                The mindless sleep of gaping valleys
Безумный сон зияющих долин.                   Is so delicious and so dreary all the while,
Я был на дне базальтовых теснин.              I stood at bottoms of basaltic narrows,
В провал небес (о, как он ёмко-жаден!)        And watched a shower of starry grapes acsending

Срывался ливень звёздных виноградин,          Into the hungry gap of heaven's abyss.
И солнца диск, вступая в свой притин,         The face of Sun, acceding its throne house,
Был над столпами пламенных вершин,            Walked over pillars of fire-stricken peaks,
Крылатый и расплёсканный — громаден.          It was so huge, so spilt aside and winged.

Ни сумрака, ни воздуха, ни вод —              There is no twilight, and no water and no air -
Лишь острый блеск гранитов, сланцев, шпатов.  Just dazzling glare of granites, slates and feldspars.
Ни шлейфы зорь, ни веера закатов              And never this black sky turns pink

Не озаряют чёрный небосвод, —                 At times of dawns or when sunset spreads out.
Неистово порывист и нескладен                 One only ever sees your harsh and ragged
Алмазный бред морщин твоих и впадин.          Deliruim of diamond wrinkles and creases.

               10                                           Sonnet X
               
Алмазный бред морщин твоих и впадин           Deliruim of diamond wrinkles and creases
Томит и жжёт. Неумолимо жёстк                 Is like a burning torment. Inexorably crisp
Рисунок скал, базальтов черный лоск,          Is the sky line of rocks and basalts' shiny gloss,
Строенье арок, стрелок, перекладин.           The shape of arcs, lancet embrasures and vaults. 

Вязь рудных жил, как ленты пёстрых гадин,     This script of ore veins coiled mottled snakes alike,
Наплывы лавы бурые, как воск,                 The bumps of lava looking brownish wax,
И даль равнин, как обнажённый мозг...         And vast expanse of plains like stripped crust of brain...
Трехдневный полдень твой кошмарно-страден     All suffers crushing heat at noon that lasts three days.

Пузырчатые осыпи огня                         Hillslides of flaming bubbles
Сверкают в нимбе яростного дня,               Give out sparks in halo of the day,
А по ночам над кратером Гиппарха              And when night falls, high up over the Hipparchus

Бдит «Volva» — неподвижная звезда,            The 'Volva' shines, the unmoving luminary
И отливает пепельно-неярко                    Its light is casted back as ghostly ashy gleam
Твоих морей блестящая слюда.                  When it comes down upon your seas of daze.

               11                                           Sonnet XI
               
Твоих морей блестящая слюда                   When light comes down upon your seas of daze,
Хранит следы борьбы и исступлений,            Past rage and passions emerge, formerly kept secret,
Застывших мук, безумных дерзновений,          The frozen torture and insane adventures,
Двойные знаки пламени и льда.                 The signs of past, the double signs of flame and ice.

Здесь рухнул смерч вселенских «Нет» и «Да».   The cosmic swirl of fighting 'Yes' and 'No' once hit
От моря Бурь до Озера Видений,                These desolated plains from Sea of Storms and to the Lake of Visions,
От призрачных полярных взгромождений,         From ghostly peaks that tower at the poles 
Не видевших заката никогда,                   Which do not know that Sun can ever set,

До темных цирков Mare Tenebrarum —            And to the darkest craters of the Mare Tenebrarum,
Ты вся порыв, застывший в гневе яром.         You are untamed, you are wrath driven stiffened spirit.
И страшный шрам на кряже Лунных Альп          Behold, the awful circling scar of Lunar Alps

Оставила небесная секира.                     Was left by heaven's battle axe which fell once here.
Ты, как Земля, с которой сорван скальп, —     You are the picture of an Earth scalped bare,
Лик Ужаса в бесстрастности эфира!             The face of horror in the passionless ether!
 
Last edited:
What a great pic from LROC!



Sweet, I was planning to image LCROSS as well as soon as the weather clears.
Good luck with that - I don't think my 8" reflector is up to it. Let us know how you get on.

I can respond to this with the words of poet Maximillian Voloshin
Cool - very vivid and surreal. Thanks.
 
LROC Lunar flyover in HD:


(Open video in a separate tab, and press the "HD" button in the bottom-right of the player).
 
Checking in Orbiter with a DG facing east, it looks like the Moon will be almost directly overhead from Florida on October 9 at 11:30 UTC. Awesome! I hope I'll be able to see the impact plume.
 

Attachments

  • S_20090712_013220_3_1280x800.png
    S_20090712_013220_3_1280x800.png
    195.2 KB · Views: 16
Is the LRO still planning for get a picture of the Apollo 11 landing site by the 20th, or is it even flying over that area at that time?
Thanks.
Ryan.
 
Is the LRO still planning for get a picture of the Apollo 11 landing site by the 20th, or is it even flying over that area at that time?
Thanks.
Ryan.
LRO orbit plane passed over the Apollo 11 landing site about, 6 days ago. That's a few days after NAC calibration started, so they may already have it in the bag. Otherwise, orbit passes over the landing site in about 8 days time, according to the "Where is LRO" page:
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/whereislro/
 
LRO orbit plane passed over the Apollo 11 landing site about, 6 days ago. That's a few days after NAC calibration started, so they may already have it in the bag. Otherwise, orbit passes over the landing site in about 8 days time, according to the "Where is LRO" page:
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/whereislro/

Also worth remembering that at the moment the Apollo 11 landing site is in the dark. I'm not sure if it was sunny 6 days ago, but if it wasn't it should be the next time LRO passes over. Either way, the sun should be at a pretty low angle, which will make nice long shadows and give us a few more pixels to ogle at.

---------- Post added at 10:26 ---------- Previous post was at 10:09 ----------

Just checked in Orbiter, the Apollo 11 site was last lit on the 12th, and won't be again until the 27th. So unless they caught it early on the 12th we'll have to wait until next month for images.
 
LRO captures images of Apollo landing sites: :speakcool:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/multimedia/lroimages/apollosites.html

369234main_lroc_apollo11labeled_256x256.jpg
 
Some photos of other Apollo landing sites.
 

Attachments

  • 369228main_ap14labeled_540.jpg
    369228main_ap14labeled_540.jpg
    109.7 KB · Views: 18
  • 369238main_lroc_apollo15labeled_256x256.jpg
    369238main_lroc_apollo15labeled_256x256.jpg
    70.6 KB · Views: 7
  • 369240main_lroc_apollo16labeled_256x256.jpg
    369240main_lroc_apollo16labeled_256x256.jpg
    73.1 KB · Views: 5
  • 369242main_lroc_apollo17labeled_256x256.jpg
    369242main_lroc_apollo17labeled_256x256.jpg
    72.7 KB · Views: 8
Really great pictures!
This would shut up most conspiracy people if we hadn't shopped those... *sigh*

Do we get closer passes and better pictures?
 
Yeah LRO is not in the planned tourist position, pardon my pun. But those pictures will get better and better. Also Apollo 12 hasnt be photographed hasnt been photographed yet and i bet the conspiratists will hang onto that somehow.
 
Those are beautiful pics. Can we have them engraved in a granite slab, about 2 by 4 size, and then beat up Bart Sibrel with it?

If we aim right we can blind him with science. :)
 
Back
Top