APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

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APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by APOD Robot » Tue Jul 16, 2013 4:06 am

Image The Moon from Zond 8

Explanation: Which moon is this? Earth's. Our Moon's unfamiliar appearance is due partly to an unfamiliar viewing angle as captured by a little-known spacecraft -- the Soviet Union's Zond 8 that circled the Moon in October of 1970. Pictured above, the dark-centered circular feature that stands out near the top of the image is Mare Orientale, a massive impact basin formed by an ancient collision with an asteroid. Mare Orientale is surrounded by light colored and highly textured highlands. Across the image bottom lies the dark and expansive Oceanus Procellarum, the largest of the dark (but dry) maria that dominate the side of the Moon that always faces toward the Earth. Originally designed to carry humans, robotic Zond 8 came within 1000 km of the lunar surface, took about 100 detailed photographs on film, and returned them safely to Earth within a week.

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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by Boomer12k » Tue Jul 16, 2013 7:03 am

Too bad The Moon does not rotate so we can see it in all its glorious sides...so many interesting things. From Ray Craters, to Craters, to half filled in craters in the Mare...such an interesting place...and I am thinking....X marks the spot where the TREASURE is buried!!!!! :D

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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by JohnD » Tue Jul 16, 2013 8:48 am

No, Lacus Autumni.

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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by Beyond » Tue Jul 16, 2013 11:06 am

Gads, first thing in the morning i gotta go look up Lake of Autumn.
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Post by neufer » Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:12 pm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_7K-L1 wrote: <<The Soyuz 7K-L1 "Zond" (Зонд; Russian for "probe") spacecraft was designed to launch men from the Earth to circle the Moon without going into lunar orbit in the context of the Soviet manned moon-flyby program in Moon race. It was based on the Soyuz 7K-OK with several components stripped out to reduce the vehicle weight. The most notable modifications included the removal of the orbital module (the orbital module was replaced by a support cone and a high gain parabolic antenna) and a reserve parachute; and the addition of the gyro platform and star navigation sensors for the far space navigation. The spacecraft was capable of carrying two cosmonauts. In the beginning there were serious reliability problems with both the new Proton rocket, the Proton 7K-L1, and the similar new Soyuz spacecraft. With the first four unmanned test starts being partially successful or unsuccessful, including two under common open name "Kosmos" as for any Soviet test spacecraft, the mission of 2–7 March 1968 and subsequent ones were the flights of the L1 spacecraft under the open designation "Zond" that were given by Soviets for test missions to far space.

After the successful US Apollo 8 manned flight around Moon, the Soviet manned moon-flyby missions lost political motivation. The first manned flight of the L1/Zond spacecraft with Alexey Leonov and Valery Bykovsky planned for the end of 1970 was cancelled.
Image
All L1/Zond spacecraft made only unmanned automatic flights from 1967–1970, from (Zond 4 to Zond 8), and four of these five Zond flights suffered malfunctions.

Test flights conducted around the Moon showed problems using their star sensors for navigation. These problems caused ballistic reentry due to the failed guidance. One direct descent re-entry was performed on a steep ballistic trajectory with deceleration of up to 20 Gs and splashed down in the Indian Ocean. Three others performed a maneuver known as "skip reentry" to shed velocity. One of those also performed an unsafe (for humans) descent of up to 20 Gs of deceleration, the other suffered main parachute failure, and only one flight - Zond 7 - would have been safe for cosmonauts.

Zond 5 was the first spacecraft to carry a group of terrestrial creatures (tortoises being the most complex) on a circumlunar flight and return relatively safely to Earth. Zond 5 splashed down in the Indian Ocean after descending steeply with a 20 G deceleration rate. Although unsafe for humans these high Gs apparently didn't affect the tortoises' health, and they were reportedly able to breed afterwards.

The Soviet moon-flyby program was closed in 1970 without the achievement of its manned primary goal. The intended manned use of L1/Zond spacecraft was documented in official Soviet sources at first time but from 1968 until 1989 this and the moon-landing N1-L3 programs were classified and the Soviet government denied the existence of both. Near 1968 a rare open Soviet sources (Big Soviet Encyclopedia's Yearbook, Kosmonavtika small encyclopedia) sporadically referred to Zond's as tests of space ships for lunar missions (omitting but meaning words manned - in difference to term space apparate used by Soviets for non-manned spacecraft).>>
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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by bystander » Tue Jul 16, 2013 1:47 pm

Boomer12k wrote:Too bad The Moon does not rotate...
The Moon does rotate. Its rotational period is equal to its orbital period, once every 27.321582 days.
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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by stephen63 » Tue Jul 16, 2013 2:02 pm

bystander wrote:
Boomer12k wrote:Too bad The Moon does not rotate...
The Moon does rotate. Its rotational period is equal to its orbital period, once every 27.321582 days.
I knew you were going to say that! :lol2:

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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by neufer » Tue Jul 16, 2013 2:18 pm

bystander wrote:
Boomer12k wrote:
Too bad The Moon does not rotate...
The Moon does rotate. Its rotational period is equal to its orbital period, once every 27.321582 days.
But.....
Boomer12k wrote:
Too bad The Moon does not rotate so we can see it in all its glorious sides.
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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by emc » Tue Jul 16, 2013 2:42 pm

In the spirit of Yogi Berra... The Moon would be a good place to live if it were habitable.

You know, things certainly haven’t tuned out like I anticipated... 44 years and still little no development like in the wild west days... of course it’s not like there's air there and we can saddle up a horse or hitch up a wagon train and mosey on over. You do kind of need an extraterrestrial vehicle and someone navigating smart enough not to land you on Venus.
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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by geckzilla » Tue Jul 16, 2013 3:26 pm

neufer wrote:
bystander wrote:
Boomer12k wrote:
Too bad The Moon does not rotate...
The Moon does rotate. Its rotational period is equal to its orbital period, once every 27.321582 days.
But.....
Boomer12k wrote:
Too bad The Moon does not rotate so we can see it in all its glorious sides.
Too bad the Moon rotates at the exact rate which prevents us from seeing all of its glorious sides from Earth.

There, I fixed it. :doh:
Just call me "geck" because "zilla" is like a last name.

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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by emc » Tue Jul 16, 2013 3:35 pm

Too bad it’s not made of cheese. That would make it more habitable.
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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by geckzilla » Tue Jul 16, 2013 3:40 pm

emc wrote:Too bad it’s not made of cheese. That would make a visit more habitable.
Depends on what kind of cheese. The stinky kind might be a bit overpowering in large quantities. The astronauts and their landing vehicle might not be welcomed back. Stay on your stinky moon!
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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by emc » Tue Jul 16, 2013 3:43 pm

I expect it WOULD be stinky given the age of the Moon.

I myself am getting old and feel pretty stinky about it.
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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by Beyond » Tue Jul 16, 2013 4:46 pm

This old moon picture being the perfect opportunity, I'm surprised there's no old 'mooning' jokes showing up. Or is 'mooning' only a 'spectator' sport :?:
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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by emc » Tue Jul 16, 2013 4:48 pm

If I had a space suit, I would want the butt cover to be transparent so I could moon from the Moon!

... How's that? I am the butt of my own joke!
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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by Beyond » Tue Jul 16, 2013 5:27 pm

emc wrote:If I had a space suit, I would want the butt cover to be transparent so I could moon from the Moon!

... How's that? I am the butt of my own joke!
I just can't seem to improve on that one. Well done :!: :lol2:
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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by LocalColor » Tue Jul 16, 2013 6:44 pm

Good pick for the APOD on the anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11 July 16, in 1969.

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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by Gary S » Tue Jul 16, 2013 6:59 pm

Hmmmm,
This APOD image says from Zond 8, but is actually number 52 from Zond "7" to be picky.

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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by JohnD » Tue Jul 16, 2013 9:28 pm

Beyond wrote:
emc wrote:If I had a space suit, I would want the butt cover to be transparent so I could moon from the Moon!

... How's that? I am the butt of my own joke!
I just can't seem to improve on that one. Well done :!: :lol2:

If I had space suit.
Yubby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dibby dum.
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum*.
If I were a real space man!

I wouldn't have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were in free fall,
An idle-diddle-daidle-daidle man.

*[Mooning again!]

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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by Beyond » Tue Jul 16, 2013 10:12 pm

That's easy for 'you' to say :!: :lol2:
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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by Anthony Barreiro » Tue Jul 16, 2013 10:22 pm

As soon as I saw this picture, before reading the title or caption, I thought it was an old photograph and figured it might have been from a Soviet flyby. There's something about photographs as compared with digital images that makes the photos appear richer, deeper, and more three-dimensional. I wonder if somebody who knows more about imaging can explain the technical differences.
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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by geckzilla » Tue Jul 16, 2013 10:36 pm

Anthony Barreiro wrote:As soon as I saw this picture, before reading the title or caption, I thought it was an old photograph and figured it might have been from a Soviet flyby. There's something about photographs as compared with digital images that makes the photos appear richer, deeper, and more three-dimensional. I wonder if somebody who knows more about imaging can explain the technical differences.
When making digital art, a lot of artists choose to mimic the texture of a canvas or the way paint is spread with a brush. You can create images digitally using perfectly smooth application of colors and a lot of people do it but it's interesting how many choose to take the extra step in difficulty required to make the digital medium look closer to traditional painting. The texture fakes that extra dimension into the image and textured brushes can also be used either to quickly create things like leaves or to evoke some kind of feeling such as speed or just add that extra stylistic flare.

It's the same way with photography. I often see digital photographers purposefully add grain, alter the colors of the photo, add vignette, etc. to make their photos look like they came from a film camera. In am amusing combination of the two arts, I also often see digital artists add chromatic aberration to their paintings.

Of course, you are also reminiscing about the past when you look at the Zond image.
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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by Anthony Barreiro » Tue Jul 16, 2013 11:42 pm

geckzilla wrote:
Anthony Barreiro wrote:As soon as I saw this picture, before reading the title or caption, I thought it was an old photograph and figured it might have been from a Soviet flyby. There's something about photographs as compared with digital images that makes the photos appear richer, deeper, and more three-dimensional. I wonder if somebody who knows more about imaging can explain the technical differences.
When making digital art, a lot of artists choose to mimic the texture of a canvas or the way paint is spread with a brush. You can create images digitally using perfectly smooth application of colors and a lot of people do it but it's interesting how many choose to take the extra step in difficulty required to make the digital medium look closer to traditional painting. The texture fakes that extra dimension into the image and textured brushes can also be used either to quickly create things like leaves or to evoke some kind of feeling such as speed or just add that extra stylistic flare.

It's the same way with photography. I often see digital photographers purposefully add grain, alter the colors of the photo, add vignette, etc. to make their photos look like they came from a film camera. In am amusing combination of the two arts, I also often see digital artists add chromatic aberration to their paintings.

Of course, you are also reminiscing about the past when you look at the Zond image.
Yes, there is something about the grain of a photograph that adds depth and richness for me. I had heard about digital imagers adding graininess during image processing, which seems a bit like adding scratches and surface noise to a digital recording!

And yes, seeing those old photographs does make me reminisce ... . :wink:
May all beings be happy, peaceful, and free.

harsha

Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by harsha » Thu Jul 18, 2013 5:40 am

has the zond or any other moon flyby probe taken hires images of the american flag or the footprints on sites where the apollo programs visited??

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Re: APOD: The Moon from Zond 8 (2013 Jul 16)

Post by JohnD » Thu Jul 18, 2013 9:09 am

harsha wrote:has the zond or any other moon flyby probe taken hires images of the american flag or the footprints on sites where the apollo programs visited??
harsha,
The resolution of images taken by orbital or fly-by probes is measured in metres, even today.
The probes in orbit around Mars have 'seen' evidence of the two Exploration and the new Curiosity rovers, and the sessile polar probe Phoenix, but they were all one or two pixels alone.
Even the US flag left on the Moon would, from orbit be a mere line.
Footprints are well below this resolution.

But in 2011, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter took pictures of several Apollo landing sites which show the 'spoor' of the astronauts and the wheeltracks of their Moon Buggies. See: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/n ... sites.html

I don't imagine that these will quash the lunatics who question the reality of the Moon Landings, nothing will quash a real fanatic!

John
PS Latest one, Opportunity on Mars. Bit smaller than a Moon Rover, but you get the point?
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/ ... 0717a.html
Last edited by JohnD on Thu Jul 18, 2013 9:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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