The Hackers Who Recovered NASA's Lost Lunar Photos

An anonymous reader sends this story from Wired: "The Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project has since 2007 brought some 2,000 pictures back from 1,500 analog data tapes. They contain the first high-resolution photographs ever taken from behind the lunar horizon, including the first photo of an earthrise. Thanks to the technical savvy and DIY engineering of the team at LOIRP, it's being seen at a higher resolution than was ever previously possible. ... The photos were stored with remarkably high fidelity on the tapes, but at the time had to be copied from projection screens onto paper, sometimes at sizes so large that warehouses and even old churches were rented out to hang them up. The results were pretty grainy, but clear enough to identify landing sites and potential hazards. After the low-fi printing, the tapes were shoved into boxes and forgotten. ... The drives had to be rebuilt and in some cases completely re-engineered using instruction manuals or the advice of people who used to service them. The data they recovered then had to be demodulated and digitized, which added more layers of technical difficulties."

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Re:Hackers

[Zak3056]

"Hacker" can't have two meanings

Which of course is why "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" [wikipedia.org] is not a valid sentence. Or, as Samuel L. Jackson would say, "English motherfucker! Do you speak it?"

Re:Hackers

[pjt33]

I've never heard Samuel L. Jackson say that, although I have heard him say, "English, motherfucker! Do you speak it?"

Re:Was this cheaper or more productive than ...

[canadiannomad]

why not ask how we can set up a stock trading floor on the moon? you know, for the PROFIT!

Well supposedly they are the most important part of our economy, and so if we want to start an economy up there then we really should start with the basics right?

I suggest we send all the bankers and major stock brokers/exchanges up there first. Maybe we could even send them all the politicians, judges and lawyers thery need. Once they establish an economy we can send them less important things, like food, shelter, healthcare, breathable air, etc. ):D

Re:Hackers

[Darinbob]

Sometimes the comma gets lost in an accent.

Re:Was this cheaper or more productive than...

[bikin]

But remember to keep the phone sanitizers.