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Moon Cam

JCM

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Sep 24, 2007
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Moon Cam :D
We currently have the technology to have a camera that broadcasts to the web on the moon and an unmanned mission could accomplish this task. Why in today's commercial space enviroment has this not yet been done? About how long do you think it will be before there is a webcam on the moon? What would be the costs? It seems to me Moon cam offers the potential for a large fortune in advert revenue if there were an exclusive distribution channel of the only webcam on the Moon.
 
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JCM said:
Moon Cam :D
We currently have the technology to have a camera that broadcasts to the web on the moon and an unmanned mission could accomplish this task. Why in today's commercial space enviroment has this not yet been done?
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I'm hopeful that one or several of these teams will do just that.
 
After the first day or so, Its number of hits would go to zero, almost. A still picture would substitute nicely, since nothing would ever change--unless it got hit my a meteor...
 
How about a cheap telepresence robot we can pay to drive around? If it had any performance at all it could be fun.
 
Ray Brady said:
Would a webcam on the moon show anything that a still photo wouldn't?
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Yes. I would fork a lot of dollar to have such a cam as my dekstop or on a special frame with wifi, and have an earth rise every day, from a real cam as opposed to jsut something prefilmed and static.

See a different earth every day.

I am jsut doing a wild guess but I betcha I am not the only one.
 
Presently, the best use for such a device would be to land it right next to one of the Apollo landing sights. But I can't see spending that much money just to prove wrong a few morons who will claim that the whole thing is just part of the conspiracy anyway. Although, I don't doubt that such a venture will one day be inexpensive enough that, probably sooner than we think, some private company will send robots to explore the Apollo landing sites.
 
rwguinn said:
After the first day or so, Its number of hits would go to zero, almost. A still picture would substitute nicely, since nothing would ever change--unless it got hit my a meteor...
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That depends on where it's pointing. I suggest several cameras.

One pointing towards earth so people can see live footage of the earth itself and the weather patterns for whatever part of the earth happens to be facing the moon at the time. You wouldn't even need a tracking mechanism because of the way the moon is tide-locked with the earth, the earth's position is fixed in the lunar sky.

One camera pointing in a direction where we can watch the lunar sunrise.

One camera pointing in a direction where we can watch the lunar sunset.

And a variety of very high-res cameras pointing out at the stars, possibly with fixed focal-length telescopic attachments for amateur astronomers. (Maybe even professional astronomers too.) As the moon orbits the earth, and the earth orbits the sun, you'd continuously have different sections of the sky visible for study.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

ETA:

The sunrise/sunset thing would be nice, the gradual change of the shadows across the lunar landscape, different patterns of stars in the background every month.

But thinking about it, you probably wouldn't want to have the camera facing directly to where the sun is going to be. Besides the risk of damaging the sensor, there's no point. Without an atmosphere, there would be no beautiful color patterns like here on earth, and the sun would just be an over-saturated blotch on the image.

So sunrise and sunset on the moon could be nice, but only if the camera is pointed to take in the stark beauty of the ever-shifting shadows across the harsh lunar landscape, rather than the rising/setting of the sun itself.
 
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Aepervius said:
Yes. I would fork a lot of dollar to have such a cam as my dekstop or on a special frame with wifi, and have an earth rise every day, from a real cam as opposed to jsut something prefilmed and static.

See a different earth every day.

I am jsut doing a wild guess but I betcha I am not the only one.
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Now you're on to something! A camera that would watch the Earth.
 
Aepervius said:
Yes. I would fork a lot of dollar to have such a cam as my dekstop or on a special frame with wifi, and have an earth rise every day,
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You'd be waiting for a very long time, because the earth doesn't rise/set from the viewpoint of a fixed location on the moon. The moon is tidal-locked, remember?
 
Brian-M said:
You'd be waiting for a very long time, because the earth doesn't rise/set from the viewpoint of a fixed location on the moon. The moon is tidal-locked, remember?
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There is some motion. Seen from the moon, the earth traces an analemma, if memory serves.

If a cam were placed on 90/270 degree longitude great circle, the earth could be seen bobbing up and down at the horizon.
 
What role would solar flares and cosmic radiation play? Do we have adquate shielding for electronics long term and how much is that ballpark?

Anyone think of a reason for anything on the farside? I know a radiotelescope would be nice but a webcam?

HopDavid said:
I'm hopeful that one or several of these teams will do just that.
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Have any expressed specifics to do so by chance? Seems like a real fundraiser in terms of VC if it's feasible

Ray Brady said:
Would a webcam on the moon show anything that a still photo wouldn't?
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As far as the lunar surface other than Piezoelectric TLPs they really wouldnt. But above the horizon the ideas mentioned by others would be interesting

Comments on money it could cost, time it might take, predictions when it will hapen?
 
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I'd rather have a good telescope in low earth orbit than a lousy cam on the moon.
 
falkowsi said:
I'd rather have a good telescope in low earth orbit than a lousy cam on the moon.
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How about a high-powered mercury liquid mirror telescope on the moon? Assuming you could haul enough the materials up there, the absence of an atmosphere and lower gravity (allowing lower RPM) would make it easy to build one that makes the Large Zenith Telescope in Canada look like a kid's toy.

Now that would be one hell of a webcam. :)
 
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