Gallery: The Hackers Who Recovered NASA's Lost Lunar Photos

  • Earthrise over the Moon as seen by Lunar Orbiter 1 on August 24 1966.
    LOIRP/NASA
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    Earthrise over the Moon as seen by Lunar Orbiter 1 on August 24, 1966.
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    LOIRP/NASA
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    Comparison of the original Earthrise image as seen by the public in 1966 and the restored image released in 2008.
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    LOIRP/NASA
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    The prominent feature in this image, taken by Lunar Orbiter 3 on 19 February 1967, is Tsiolkovskiy, a large impact crater located on the far side of the Moon.
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    LOIRP/NASA
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    Crater Copernicus as seen from an oblique angle by Lunar Orbiter 2 on 24 November 1966
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    LOIRP/NASA
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    Comparison of the resolution and image quality between the restored image and the original image (right) from the Earthrise as seen by Lunar Orbiter 1 on 25 August 1966.
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    LOIRP/NASA
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    Straight shot of the lunar surface taken by Lunar Orbiter 2 on 19 November 1966.
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    The moon's far side, taken by Lunar Orbiter 2 on 19 November 1966.
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    LOIRP/NASA
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    This second earthrise image was taken on August 25, 1966. Most of what is visible on the Moon's surface is the far side, with the Sea of Tsiolkovsky prominently featured. A flaw in the onboard processing of the first Earthrise image–taken two days earlier–left a noticable flaw, whereas this second image, although it has a similar flaw, is far more uniform in its quality than the first.
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    LOIRP/NASA
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    Medium resolution image taken by Lunar Orbiter 3 on 17 February 1967
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    LOIRP/NASA
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    A closeup of Tsiolkovskiy impact crater.
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    LOIRP/NASA
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    Detail of a lunar geographical feature as seen by Lunar Orbiter 3 on 22 February 1967
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    LOIRP/NASA
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    Lunar Orbiter 4 photograph showing a crescent Earth and partly illuminated Moon. The lunar sunset terminator is at 140 E and runs through the large dark-floored crater Tsiolkovsky, about 240 km diameter towards the bottom of the Moon. The part of the Moon visible in this image is the western far side. The frame has been turned upside down to give the "correct" orientation.