[Ankit Gujral]

Ankit Gujral  asked the Naked Scientists:

Dear Dr. Chris,

Sorry I'm a little late in getting this question across to you, I'm a  
podcast listener in the United States. I'm a physics student at New  
York University and just wanted to ask about the Chandrayaan - I.

While the imaging will not be of high enough resolution to capture an  
image of the first moon mission with Armstrong, Aldrin and the third  
fellow (who no one seems to know, which is a shame!), isn't it true  
that they're launching a piece of equipment to land on the moon's  
surface as well (I believe they plan to scan for minerals and the  
Helium isotope within the moons mantle?) Wouldn't this piece of  
equipment come across the site of the first moon mission? Or is it  
using another technique to scan the mantle without physically moving  
(is that even possible?)

Thanks,

Ankit Gujral
NYU

What do you think?

[lyner]

That would knock a real hole in the 'conspiracy' theory, wouldn't it?

[Soul Surfer]

The laser reflector they left behind has been used for years and I am reasonably sure that recent detailed cameras  orbiting the moon have already seen things left behind but not in unambiguous detail so what you suggest has already been doe I think

[lyner]

It doesn't seem to satisfy the loonies, tho'.
But perhaps nothing will.

[syhprum]

It has already happened, a TV camera from an unmanned lander was recovered by one of the Apollo missions.
Interestingly Earth type bacteria were cultured from it showing that sterilization techniques were rather lacking!