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Impossible For Great Wall To Be Visible With Naked Eye From From Space
Beijing (XNA) Mar 02, 2007 Chinese scientists have reopened the debate on whether or not the Great Wall is visible from space with the human eye, labeling it "impossible". In a report published in Chinese science magazine Science and Technology Review, Dai Changda, Jiang Xiaoguang and Xi Xiaohuan, all researchers with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), argue that the claim, made by American and Russian astronauts, defies the laws of biological science. "The Great Wall contains some sections that are approximately 10 meters wide. But a 10-meter-wide object can only be seen with a naked eye from a maximum distance of 36 kilometers in extremely good weather conditions," Jiang Xiaoguang told Xinhua. "The distance of 36 km is well below the widely-acknowledged distance of space from the earth, which is at least 100 km," he said. "Therefore the Great Wall is indeed invisible from space with the human eye." Jiang acknowledged the fact that the Great Wall had been photographed from space but said it was not related to whether or not the structure could be seen with the human eye. "Obviously the human eye is very different from a camera and can not pick up details that advanced photographic equipment can," said Jiang. In March, 2004, U.S. astronaut Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon as commander of the Apollo 17 mission, told a Singapore newspaper during an interview that "in Earth's orbit at a height of 160 to 320 km, the Great Wall of China is indeed visible to the naked eye". However, during China's first manned spaceflight in 2003, Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut, confirmed that he did not see the Great Wall while in orbit. Source: Xinhua News Agency Related Links Making money out of watching earth from space today Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
NASA And Virgin Galactic To Explore Future Cooperation
Moffett Field CA (SPX) Feb 22, 2007NASA officials announced they have signed an agreement with a U.S. company, Virgin Galactic, to explore collaborations on development of future space systems and support to commercial human spaceflight activities. Under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), NASA Ames Research Center and Virgin Galactic will explore possible collaborations in several technical areas. |
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