A lunar probe has beamed back new, stunning, never-before-seen images of the moon that will be revealed for the first time tonight on the Discovery Channel.
The few images released so far paint a more compelling, high resolution portrait of the lunar landscape than has ever been seen. One of the most striking pictures shows Earth rising over the moon's jagged, slate grey landscape -- a seldom seen viewpoint.
The pictures, captured by the Japanese Kaguya lunar probe and two sub satellites will be broadcast in high definition during "Return to the Moon: The First Images," a 30-minute special to air at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery HD. Coverage of the mission and a look at some of the images will air on Discovery's Daily Planet at 7 p.m. ET.
"First of all, the clarity is stunning," Discovery's Daily Planet host Jay Ingram told CTV's Canada AM.
"But it's also interesting because really, the Apollo astronauts were there in '72, so an entire generation plus has not really experienced these images live or if not live, in the current context."
The program will also look into the technology that drives the satellite, and present a pictorial history of the moon dating back to the Apollo mission.
While there has been a lot of focus on Mars recently, with new NASA images and data being beamed back to Earth, there hasn't been much new from the moon for some time. Ingram said the new data should focus new interest and attention on the moon, which he said will be vital to future space exploration.
"We've done tons of stuff on Mars this year on Discovery, but the moon, however barren it looks, is a fabulously interesting place," Ingram said.
"And there are major questions that still have to be answered so this satellite is not going to just send back incredible images, but they are really worth watching."
The satellite will also help astronomers and scientists begin answering questions about the origin of the moon and why one face of the moon always remains facing Earth, Ingram said.
"We always see the same, more or less, like a little bit more than half of the same side of the moon, and it's because of the density of the moon. But why? This satellite is going to do all of that, plus send back fantastic pictures."
Former Canadian astronaut Dr. Roberta Bondar, now a renowned photographer who has taken her own shots from space, will be interviewed on the show.
