Why no Luna orbital camera?

We have the MOC for Mars, but why have we never put a high resolution orbital camera in orbit about our moon?

 

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Actually we have, and of resently we are again:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/

 

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Do you honestly expect someone to take the Smart-1 mission seriously when it will take from Sept 27, 2003 til early 2005 to get to the moon when it only took 8 months for the rovers to get all the way to Mars.

This Smart-1 craft has its own new type of engine, known as solar-electric propulsion, or an 'ion' engine, so what is the purpose in fabricating such a fanciful spiral trip?

 

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Because the 'new type of engine' is small... very small... and new. This gives them the time they need to both test the system and the time needed to chage course.

You can't just point the thing at the moon and say 'go'. It doesn't have enough power.

 

A) to test the Ion propulsion engine.
B) for a scientific mission.

 

Ion power is to slow for intersolar exploration and is to slow for extrasolar exploration IMO. You would have to put to many of them in a series to get enough power to propel the object that you are sending anywhere to get a good velocity. It just isn't practical when chemical propellents can do a superior job overall when exploring our own solar system.

 

Well considering ion propulsion has 10 times the Isp of the most efficient chemical propulsion systems, ion propulsion over time can get you ten times as far or with 1/10 the fuel and weight over conventional propulsion. So in a situation like smart-1 were a very light weight vehicle was needed ion propulsion was the logical conclusion, despite the longer flight time.

 

Now I am sure WCF can now provide us with the link to all the hi-resolution photos that have been sent back by this Luna Orbital Camera? (I must have been asleep when they launched that one.) The Smart1 you mention has no such capability.

Still I ask the question. Why haven’t we placed a HIGH RESOLUTION CAMERA in orbit about our moon that would be capable of mapping it?

 

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/space/probe/

Let see over a dozen probes have been sent to the moon, photographed the moon up close, map the "dark" or far side of the moon, not to mention the half dozen manned missions to the moon, which also photographed the moon from in orbit as well as the surface...

Due to the nature of the modern space dark ages were space technologies and science don't get near as much money as they use to, the demand and thus money for a super high resolution mapping of the moon is not to great. Maps of the moon are at present adequate, geology of the moon though is of great demand and probes of that nature are of much greater demand.

 

Yep Fetus, but nothing at all like what Norval has asked about.

PLANETARY PROBES - HISTORICAL MISSIONS

 

Why haven’t we placed a HIGH RESOLUTION CAMERA in orbit about our moon that would be capable of mapping it?

If all you wanted was a map, you should have just asked.

http://www.moon-phases.com/photographic-map/moon.html

http://www.lunarrepublic.com/atlas/index.shtml

 

Nope Q those are not from a HIGH RESOLUTION CAMERA in orbit.

 

Nope Q those are not from a HIGH RESOLUTION CAMERA in orbit.

So what? There is enough detail on those maps to satisfy anyones curiosity.

Are you interested in counting dust specks?

 

So, in other words, there is NO hi resolution imaging of the moon being done. There has never been any hi resolution photography done to map the moon since we were last there. And that was before most of you were even born. FOCL

Why? When one looks at all the lunar discussion sites and sees the “amateur” telescope pictures which are even clearer than the older best pictures, one has to ask, as they are, WHY?

Just the same old song and dance, but we still don't have the imaging for some esoteric reason.

Its ok to hi res Mars, but not our Moon?

 

norval

If you wanted hi res pics so badly, why don't you campaign, collect funds, build a rocket, mount a hi res camera, put it in orbit around the moon and take your own pics?

No one is stopping you, are they?

 

ohhhhh my what a good response Q.
"chuckles"

 

Actually there are many very high resolution pictures of the moon, there just has not been very high resolution mapping of the moon. Exactly how high resolutions are you looking for? 10m? 1m? .1m?

99% of the moon as been map to 60m per pixel.
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/lunarorb.html

 

Personally I would really not be the one to ask about what would be a great imaging satellite to orbit the moon. I am not even an amateur astronomer. My opinion would be to have the best we could put up there today from off the shelf parts of past project spares. JUST GET IT THERE. Then it can be argued what more to keep tabs on besides visual.

There is quite the grumbling in the astronomy sections for far better telescopes and equipment in orbit. Look and listen and read the vast amount of new information we have learned in just the last ten years about our cosmos, galaxy, solar system, and our own planet from orbit. Still cheep at twice the price.

 

Um, why? What possible benefit does this have that Earth based telescopes do not? The moon is the most researched body (besides the Earth) in our system.

There isn't any good reason to take better pictures of the Moon at the moment.

 

Surely a map of the moon at 1m or even .1m resolution would not reveal much? Perhaps we could spot rocks of interest.