Google Earth marks moon landing with lunar map, imagery

To mark the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing on 20 July 1969, Google yesterday released Moon in Google Earth, which allows users to explore lunar images and related lunar content.

Moon in Google Earth features panoramic pictures of the lunar surface, historic videos, renderings of NASA's landing modules and scads of articles about earth's orbiter. Google Earth users can search the moon by using high resolution planning charts. By clicking on the human artefacts option, you can see what people have left behind on the surface of the moon.

In a post on the official Google blog, Anousheh Ansari, the first female private space explorer and a trustee of the XPRIZE Foundation, says the software will help millions of people learn about space.

"Moon in Google Earth enables you to explore lunar imagery as well as informational content about the Apollo landing sites, panoramic images shot by the Apollo astronauts, narrated tours and much more," she said. "I believe that this educational tool is a critical step into the future, a way to both develop the dreams of young people globally, and inspire new audacious goals."

Moon in Google Earth details all of the Apollo landing missions, and offers lunar surface panoramas in Google's street view format. The project is a result of the company's Space Act Agreement with NASA. Japan's space agency JAXA also helped out by donating a global terrain dataset of the moon.

Moon in Google Earth is the latest version of Google Earth, following earlier versions that added updates on the earth's oceans, the constellations and Mars imagery.

Michael Weiss-Malik, a product manager for the Moon in Google Earth project, noted in his own blog post that the product tries to chronicle the Apollo landing missions in words and pictures. Users also will find guided tours, as well as photos taken by the astronauts presented in a 3D Street View style.

"Google is proud to announce the release of Moon in Google Earth, bringing you one step closer to understanding the experience of standing on the moon," wrote Weiss-Malik. "It brings the Apollo stories out of the history books, recreating them in an immersive and interactive 3D environment."