Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to Doug has a point...

Private hi-rez lunar orbiters

There are a number of private ventures that propose to send a high-res orbiter to the moon, with revenue being generated by selling "virtual reality" experiences at science museums (i.e., put cameras in every direction, beaming HDTV quality signals back and projecting them on an Omnimax dome so you see the view like you're in lunar orbit yourself. That sort of bandwidth is feasible from lunar distance), footage for specials on the discovery channel or whatever, as well as corporate sponsorships. Radio Shack put money down to fund one of the teams (I believe the one they sponsored had a rover planned too).

It seemed like at least one of those projects would get off the ground at the peak of the tech boom in 1999, but they have been sort of limbo since. Still, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see one by 2010. Maybe someone could partner with NASA, with NASA paying part of the cost in order to get more high-res imaging of the whole moon in support of the planned missions in Bush's initiative.

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