Nasa restores moon landing film
Nasa restores moon landing film
The US space agency, Nasa, is marking the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11, which took into space the first astronauts to walk on the moon.
At a news conference, it revealed newly-restored footage of the moon landing, including Neil Armstrong's first step onto the lunar surface.
The film was restored by a Hollywood company, which had already spruced up films such as "Citizen Kane".
Other Apollo 11 events include a concert and a free "Moonfest".
Former astronauts are at Cape Canaveral in Florida - from where Apollo 11 took off - and will visit an exhibition about the Apollo missions, which includes a rare collection of space suits.
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2009/07/461.jpg An exhibition at Cape Canaveral marks the Apollo 11 anniversary
The lunar footage, screened to journalists in Washington, is part of a $230,000 (£140,000) restoration project.
The four selected scenes showed Neil Armstrong and then Buzz Aldrin stepping on to the lunar surface, the astronauts putting up a commemorative plaque and the raising of the American flag.
The original footage was filmed by a video camera on the lunar module, in a non-standard format which US television channels could not use. It was beamed back to earth, and then converted into a TV-friendly system.
But this badly degraded the images.
The space agency says it probably deleted the original footage in the 1970s and 80s, when it had a tape shortage and needed to reuse them.
So engineer Richard Nafzger and his research team spent three years searching for copies worldwide. He found footage in Australia and at the CBS television studios in Houston, as well as reels of tape in Nasa's own huge archive vaults, which had not been viewed for 36 years.
The Hollywood company, Lowry Digital, is restoring two-and-a-half hours of the material. Nasa expects to release the full version in September.
YouTube - Apollo 11 2 minute montage H264 720p
India Moon probe 'malfunctions'
India Moon probe 'malfunctions'
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2009/07/462.jpg Chandrayaan will compile a 3-D atlas of the Moon
India's first mission to the Moon has experienced a technical problem, India's space research officials say.
A sensor of the unmanned Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft has "malfunctioned" and steps have been taken to ensure it is able to continue its work, they say.
But the possibility remains that the mission may have to be cut short.
Chandrayaan-1 was launched last October and is regarded as a major step for India as it seeks to keep pace with other space-faring nations in Asia.
Scientists belonging to the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) said that the "vital star sensor" of the spacecraft had "malfunctioned".
"The mission is safe, but its lifespan may be affected," Isro spokesman S Satish told the BBC.
For the moment the spacecraft has been placed on a higher orbit, but officials say this could affect the quality of the photographs being sent back.
The unmanned Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft was launched into space from southern Andhra Pradesh state.
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2005/11/91.jpg CHANDRAYAAN 1
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2008/11/285.jpg
1 - Chandrayaan Energetic Neutral Analyzer (CENA)
2 - Moon Impact Probe (MIP)
3 - Radiation Dose Monitor (RADOM)
4 - Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC)
5 - Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)
6 - Chandrayaan 1 X-ray Spectrometer (C1XS)
7 - Solar Panel
https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2005/11/95.jpg
India sets its sights on the Moon
In Pictures: India Moon mission
The spacecraft is on a two-year mission of exploration.
The robotic probe will orbit the Moon, compiling a 3-D atlas of the lunar surface and mapping the distribution of elements and minerals.
"We have already got useful information from the pictures beamed," said an Isro official.
But he said the "quality of the pictures" had been affected because of the malfunction.
Powered by a single solar panel generating about 700 watts, the Isro probe carries five Indian-built instruments and six constructed in other countries, including the US, Britain and Germany.
The mission is expected to cost 3.8bn rupees (£45m; $78m), considerably less than Japanese and Chinese probes sent to the Moon last year.
But the Indian government's space efforts have not been welcomed by all.
Some critics regard the space programme as a waste of resources in a country where millions still lack basic services.
YouTube - Chandrayaan-I develops critical snag
