Missing Moon Buggy

[Damo636]

I realise this has to be one of the most ridiculous questions ever asked on here but going to ask it anyway! I was watching an episode of Top Gear at the weekend, the one where James gets to drive the new lunar rover. Apparently NASA left the last one behind on the moon. Has anyone ever tried to locate it through a telescope?

[jwr]

I don't thing the resolving power of your typical telescope is anywhere near enough to see something so small. For example the big 8m ground based telescopes would probably only resolve down to about 150m on the moon.

James

[brianb]

Look here.

BTW the "moon buggy" that James May drove wasn't. The real moon buggy would have collapsed if anyone sat on it in Earth's strong gravity field - it was built down to a very strict weight limit & strong enough to work in 1/6 gravity.

[Damo636]

Ok then, I guess my 8'' Dob ain't gonna cut the mustard on this one.....

[angusb1]

The landers are still there:

Apollo 11 lander spotted by lunar satellite: Scientific American Gallery

[Altair40]

Wasn't the Lunar Rover built by Porsche? Not kidding - I seem to remember that from the 80's...

Maybe NASA helped by Porsche - sort of 'how do you do this?!'

I don't know.

Might be worth the cash to go and get it!

[reddoss]

Wasn't the Lunar Rover built by Porsche? Not kidding - I seem to remember that from the 80's...

My understanding was that it was built by General Motors.......which is probably why they left it there:)

[Altair40]

You have a coke splurt for that one!

Wasn't made of Al and had gull wing doors, did it?

[alowen]

Boeing made the lunar rovers. They are smaller (just) than the descent stage of the LEM's so sadly arent visible from earth with our scopes.