Monday, March 16, 2015

Big Ben wrap-up

James Concannon writes...

I just posted the following to Robert AM*'s Fartbook page:
===================================================
The image containing the feature you call "Big Ben on the Moon" is AS17-M-2366.

You have made yet another nomenclature error, and yet another image interpretation error. This is not, as you said, MAGAZINE M. All images from that mag would have the ID AS17-142- followed by five digits. Instead this is from the Mapping Camera, revolution 65. The location of "Big Ben" if it existed would be NE of crater Neper. Please check the LRO image library to see if you can find a clock tower.

Your image interpretation error is that you examined a bizarre version of this image, not realizing that it was over-brightened, Here is a correct version FYI.

http://wms.lroc.asu.edu/apollo/view?image_name=AS17-M-2366 ====================================================
        Here, by the way, is the over-brightened version, and there's the smudge he thinks is Big Ben, on the limb of the Moon (zoom in.)

        And I thank 'Trekker' who found this for us and did the geo-location (seleno-location?)

Update 3/18: Today I asked the star of the morning what he thought the thing actually is, and what he estimated as its height. He replied that it was definitely not a clock tower -- probably an Earth observation post, or a Tesla tower. Although he promised to answer the second question, he never did.

Update 3/20: Happy Vernal Equinox.'Trekker' points out that in the very next frame, AS17-M-2367, Big Ben has floated off into space. I posted this comparison of the two frames to FB-AM*.....


jc

17 comments:

Trekker said...

Has he deleted it already? I can't see anything from you on his page.

James Concannon said...

I see it.

Trekker said...

On this page?

https://www.facebook.com/robert.morningstar.12?fref=ts

Nope, I see nothing from you there.

James Concannon said...

How strange. For me it's Item #2.

Trekker said...

Maybe you have to follow him to be able to see others' posts.

Unknown said...

OMG. Just looked at that Fartbook page. Morningstar's nuttier than Bara. I'm afraid to look again.

That Big Ben is mighty big. Must be almost a hundred miles high. NASA's not doing a good job of hiding it if it's on the Apollo 17 pix.

Funny he never noticed the tree on the upper right hand side. What's up with that?

expat said...

Ha-ha, yes, I noticed the giant tree in orbit.

Unknown said...

So, what is the tree?

Is it:
1. Cracked emulsion?
2. Ice on the window?
3. Alien plant life that NASA is hiding from the general public because the Brookings Report of 1959 told them to?

While we're on the topic, any idea what those blue flares were?

expat said...

Dribbled developer fluid, I reckon.

I've got to believe that the blue flares were a cosmic ray hit or something very similar. There are seven of them and they're all on that one film mag, 66. But it's a puzzle because they are not a consistent distance from either edge of the frame.

I tried to get an official comment from the JSC archivists but got the disappointing reply that everyone who knew about Apollo photography had retired.

Unknown said...

Only one mag. That would suggest something in the development process.
I did a quick google and got more conspiracy poppycock.

In other news: Didn't Hoagie sign up for that kamikaze mission to Mars?

http://www.thejournal.ie/mars-mission-sham-1997503-Mar2015/

expat said...

No, that was Ken Johnston. I blogged it when he made the 1058 cut, but he failed at the 100 level.

From what I've been reading lately, this project is a dead duck.

Trekker said...

Did Morningstar respond in any way to you, James, since you posted on his page?

James Concannon said...

No, not at all. The post got one "like," from somebody I don't know. It's still there.

James Concannon said...

Updated

Trekker said...

Did you ask him to comment on the fact that it's not visible on the previous or following photos in the sequence, nor in the LRO photos of the area?

James Concannon said...

I did post the LRO frame, asking him "Where is it?" He deleted very quickly.

James Concannon said...

Another update...