geekosystem

Ignoring the conspiracy theories about whether we landed on the Moon at all, the team behind the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, or LROC, received the most questions prior to launch about the Apollo landing sites. What would we be able to see? Would we be able to see the American flags? As it turns out, yes. Detailed analysis of the images returned from the LROC has confirmed that the flags planted by most of Apollo missions are still standing where they were erected.

For $99, Sky & Telescope is offering what they're calling the "first entirely new globe of the Moon's surface in over 40 years." The globe has a 12-inch diameter, and sports 850 labeled locations. What makes this globe special is that it is derived from over 15,000 pictures taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera from November 2009 to February 2011, whereas other Moon globes are created via the Air Force's Lunar Astronautical Charts. There was a lot Adobe Illustrator involved in piecing the 15,000 LROC pictures into place.