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Originally Posted by Torplexed
Artifacts as small as the Apollo lander (about 4 meters) - can't be resolved from Hubble nor from any ground-based telescope. There is a slim chance that the orbiting Japanese probe may be able to see a long shadow (sunrise or sunset).
About a year from now, NASA plans to launch the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. It's LROC system will be able to image the surface at 0.5 meter resolution, the best of any camera ever sent to the moon. The Lunar Module descent stage is 4.21 meters across so from directly above it might appear as roughly 9x9 pixels. The landing pads might also be visible. Shadows would make it bigger but it isn't going to be some high resolution image. For the last 3 missions, the Lunar Rover might appear as a few pixels parked close to the descent stage.
However, since it's a NASA mission any pictures it returns will be derided by conspiracy nutters as fake given the source. I've long given up changing any minds.  |
Well that answered my question. Cheers!
I'll have to visit Nasa Tv more often when that operation starts up.