Moon pictures show traces left by astronauts
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.High resolution pictures of the surface of the Moon released by Nasa four decades after the last astronauts touched down on its surface reveal footsteps, landing craters and other evidence of man's lunar explorations.
The images taken by the US space agency's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter are the sharpest photographs ever taken from space of the Apollo 12, 14 and 17 landing sites.
They reveal boot tracks left by walking astronauts, single lines, and lunar buggy trails from the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
Images also show where astronauts placed some of the scientific instruments that provided the first insight into the Moon's environment and interior.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is two years old, took photographs of lunar landing sites from 13 to 15 miles above the Moon's surface.
The pictures have been released following the closure of Nasa's 26-year-old space shuttle program which completed its last flight in July.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments