China completes highest resolution 3D map of moon

By Xinhua, IANS
Monday, September 28, 2009

BEIJING - Chinese experts Monday announced that the country’s space scientists have completed the world’s highest-resolution three-dimensional map of the moon.

The map, covering the whole surface of the moon, is based on image data obtained by a charge-coupled device (CCD) stereo camera carried by Chang’e-1, China’s first lunar probe vehicle, launched Oct 2007.

The spatial resolution of the map - measured by the distance of two features within an image that can be clearly defined - is 500 meters.

Liu Xianlin, head of the expert team, said the map could greatly help study the features, laws and creation of the moon’s surface and deepen the understanding of lunar geology and its evolution.

“It would also pave the way for setting scientific objectives in future lunar probe projects,” said Liu, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping.

Filed under: Science and Technology, World

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