THE WONDER
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PREMISE: It is not possible to bounce a laser beam off the surface of the moon, without the aid of retro-reflectors, placed there by NASA astronauts. Therefore, the United States must have landed on the Moon, because we can point lasers at the Moon, and get a signal back. I have come across a couple of references (New York Times article, National Geographic magazine) to prove this theory false, but it was rather difficult to locate the sources, so I decided to post them here, for my own archive. But first, a little background into what led me here... |
MYTHBUSTERS:
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Moon Laser Segment From
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Did Jarrah White Quotemine
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For more information about Jarrah White,
please read, An Open Letter to Jarrah White, by Allan Weisbecker, at blog.banditobooks.com. |
New York Times
The November 5, 1963 edition of the New York Times
contains an article about the Soviets bouncing a laser
off the Moon's surface. The article has been republished below.
contains an article about the Soviets bouncing a laser
off the Moon's surface. The article has been republished below.
Soviet Bounces Light Beam Off Moon in a Laser TestSpecial to The New York Times
MOSCOW, Nov. 4 A concentrated beam of light has been bounced off the moon and detected on earth by a Soviet observatory in the Crimea. The feat, reported today by Tass, the Soviet press agency, duplicates an experiment conducted late last year by engineers of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The superintensive beam was produced by a laser, a device that amplifies and focuses light. The principle is believed to have potential use in space communications and long-distance energy transmission. The Soviet announcement said a laser had been installed at the focal point of the 100-inch reflector telescope at the Crimean Astraphysical Observatory. Printed: Tuesday, November 5, 1963 |
click image for larger view
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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE
In it's December 1966 issue, National Geographic published a report entitled
"The Laser's Bright Magic". From medical applications, to industrial calibration,
or scientific research, the report covers a wide range of uses for the laser.
"The Laser's Bright Magic". From medical applications, to industrial calibration,
or scientific research, the report covers a wide range of uses for the laser.
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On page 876 of the magazine, the author, Thomas Meloy, points out the following:
Four years ago, a ruby laser considerably smaller than those now available shot a series of pulses at the moon, 240,000 miles away. The beams illuminated a spot less than two miles in diameter and were reflected back to earth with enough strength to be measured by ultrasensitive electronic equipment. The beam of a high-quality searchlight, if it reached that far, would spread out to several times the moon's 2,160-mile diameter.
FILES:
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New York Times Article
Size: 3.5 mb |
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National Geographic Article
Size: 82.1 mb |
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Jarrah White Video
Size: 20.5 mb |
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An Open Letter To Jarrah White
Size: 1.66 mb |
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Mythbusters Moon Laser Video
Size: 36.9 mb |
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