SUBSCRIBE NOW!

12 issues for
only $14

Plus a free t-shirt!

Subscribe

Give a
Gift

Renew

Service

Home

Login/Register

Search

Search Links

Photos

Videos

Newsletter

Popular
Science

PPX

Cars

Gear & Gadgets

DIY

Military, Aviation
& Space

Entertainment &
Gaming

The Environment

SciTech

Share

Delicious

Digg

Reddit

Magnoliacom

Newsvine

Furl

Facebook

Google

Yahoo

Technorati

Icerocket

Print

Email

Add
to Favorites

Rating

MapQuest on the Moon

A new form of LIDAR could give scientists precise maps of the
surface of distant moons and planets

By Gregory Mone Posted 05.19.2008 at 12:06 pm 0 Comments

The Surface of the Moon: Photo by NASA

Laser radar systems now being developed at Rochester Institute of Technology
and MIT's famed Lincoln Lab could eventually generate ultra-detailed,
three-dimensional maps of planets, comets, asteroids and moons. The scientists
are developing a LIDAR (light detection and ranging) technology that operates
both in the optical and ultraviolet, and could deliver detailed information
about atmospheric composition, plus air temperature and pressure, wind speed,
and precise topological features of a planet or planetary body. The tech is so
precise, in fact, that the LIDAR system will be able to distinguish between
bumps on the surface that have just a one centimeter difference in height.

And it will also be quicker than the current standard. "You can take LIDAR
pictures at fine resolutions and build up a map in hours instead of taking years
at comparable resolution with a single image," says Donald Figer of RIT.

Via RIT

0 Comments

To comment, please login.

Popular Tags

SciTech

global warming

medicine

physics

bacteria

How it
Works

biology

food

robots

NASA

deep
brain stimulation

evolution

nanotech

Regular Features

Future
Human with Laura Allen | On our continued evolution as a species

Inspired by
Nature with Dan Smith | Developments in biomimicry

Science
Confirms the Obvious with Laura Allen | The research that makes
us say "duh"

All Tags All
Photos All Videos

Photo Galleries
RSS
Link

SciTech

From
Space to Shovel

Hyperspectral satellites can uncover ancient remains
hiding in plain view

Beyond
the Male "Pill"

From remote-control key fobs to ultrasound, male
contraception goes high tech

Xerox
PARC Lab Tour

See what the legendary Silicon Valley research
facility is cooking up next

+ More Photo
Galleries

PPX: The PopSci Predictions Exchange

RSS Link

SciTech

Deep-Brain
Stim for Depression

Will the FDA clear deep-brain stimulation as a treatment for clinical
depression by September 30, 2008?

Large
Hadron Collider Functions

Will the LHC be fully functional and producing data by October 31,
2008?

Ready to bet on the future? Start here!

Featured

SciTech

Science
Confirms the Obvious 2008

The findings may be no-brainers (yes, you do get sick in winter), but
these studies uncover hidden truths in conventional wisdom

Building
the Real Iron Man

While audiences flood theaters this month to see the comic-book-inspired
Iron Man, a real-life mad genius toils in a secret mountain lab to
make the mechanical superhuman more than just a fantasy with the XOS
Exoskeleton

Popular on Popsci

Most Viewed

SciTech

Building
the Real Iron Man

The
Anonymity Experiment

China's iClone

The
Worst Jobs in Science 2007

Cosmic
Explosions

Video:
The XOS Exoskeleton in Action

Your
Sewer on Drugs

Electricity
in the Air

The
Zero-Emissions One-Wheeled Motorcycle

Evolution’s
Most Effective Killer: Snake Venom

Most Commented

SciTech

Bill
Nye vs. Intelligent Design

Post
Your Questions for Lawrence Lessig

The Older
Brother Effect

What
Would You Do With Your Mountain Fortress?

Can the Sun
Keep You Cool?

Aqua
Teen Hunger Force = Terrorism?!

One
in Eight U.S. Biology Teachers Teaches Creationism

When
Lions, Buffaloes and Crocodiles Attack—At the Same Time

Aviation
Adventurer Steve Fossett Reported Missing

Images
of Villages Adjusting to Climate Change

Most Emailed

SciTech

This
Germ Could Save Your Life

Building
the Real Iron Man

Electricity
in the Air

Ten
Times the Turbine

Man
Regenerates Finger

Your
Sewer on Drugs

Money
Minded: How to Psychoanalyze the Stock Market

For
Treating Blindness, Scientists Look to Algae

A
Homebuilt Tumor-Killer

The
Zero-Emissions One-Wheeled Motorcycle

Subscribe for 2 free issues!

Name
Address
City
State--AAAEAPALAKABASAZARBCCACOCTDEDCFLGAGUHIIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMBMDMAMIMNMSMOMTNTNENVNBNHNJNMNYNLNCNDMPNSOHOKONORPWPAPEPRPQRISKSCSDTNTXUTVTVIVAWAWVWIWYYT Zip
Email

Today on PopSci.com

The
Zero-Emissions One-Wheeled Motorcycle

21644

10

1

Ten
Times the Turbine

21640

10

2

A
Lifesaving Beacon for Miners

21629

10

3

A
Sewage-Proof Suit

21626

10

4

The
Natural Artificial Foot

21633

10

5

A
Living Air Filter

21637

10

6

A
Rocket Engine for the Masses

21622

10

7

A
Homebuilt Tumor-Killer

21614

10

8

The
Indestructable Bridge

21618

10

9

Steam
Under the Hood

21610

10

10

Footer Menu

Subscribe

Subscriber
Services

Site Map

About Us

Contact Us

Advertising

Privacy
Policy

Terms of Use

RSS Feeds

Drupal web
development by pingVision

Copyright © 2007 Popular Science

A Bonnier
Corporation Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part
without permission is prohibited.