Great analysis, Larry!

With a bit of effort, though, a 5-cm survey of the moon might be quite possible. That would reduce the amount of data by a factor of 25, while still allowing you to image the flags and footprints and such. You'd still need a gigabit throughput, of course. I think that the best way to do this would be to set up an optical relay at L1 -- think of a small satellite with a receiver dish on the moonward side, a laser on the other, a large solar array and a relatively powerful ion-engine for station-keeping. A fairly simple device, really, and great for all kinds of missions. Anyhow, that would allow a lunar orbiter to communicate at very high speeds using low-power and high-frequency signals. A 5-cm survey would then take just over six months to complete.

Cheers,

Nathan.