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Drive From Sydney Museum Could Unlock NASA Moon Data

Posted November 10, 2008 8:44 AM

From Slashdot:

An archiving error by NASA has meant 173 data tapes have sat in Perth for almost 40 years, holding information about lunar dust that could be vital in expanding science's understanding of the moon. But after almost four decades, a donation from a Sydney computer society looks set to breathe fresh life into a long-neglected field of lunar science. ... These were the only active measurements of moon dust made during the Apollo missions, and no-one thought it was important. ... Mr Holmes has kept the tapes in a climate-controlled room since then, and it was only when he stumbled upon a 1960s IBM729 Mark 5 tape drive at the Australian Computer Museum that his company had the ability to unlock the information.

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#1

Re: Drive From Sydney Museum Could Unlock NASA Moon Data

11/10/2008 10:34 AM

It always amazes me that after spending such a huge amount of money getting to the moon and back, information has been lost and not missed! If I had been in charge, I would have kept a tighter reign on things, I think. (Cue deluge of reasons why this didn't happen. I'm waiting!)

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#2

Re: Drive From Sydney Museum Could Unlock NASA Moon Data

11/11/2008 3:19 AM

Politics in charge of discovery is that an oxymoron? Somebody got payed but no one has yet to benefit from the research.

If the Data is viable then the "we never went to the moon" crowd is out of a crusade, if it is not then they may have a complaint.

Brad

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#3

Re: Drive From Sydney Museum Could Unlock NASA Moon Data

11/11/2008 4:14 AM

We should be grateful to those dedicated Aussie folks who never ever throw anything away, but retain it "just in case it may prove of some use, some day".

But whoever was responsible for keeping track of all that data has probably retired with a fat pension many years ago.

Looking forward to see if that "Moon Dust" was really Moon dust.

Kind Regards....

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#4
In reply to #3

Re: Drive From Sydney Museum Could Unlock NASA Moon Data

11/11/2008 7:58 AM

Hey! I'm a dedicated retainer! Great, I'll never allow myself to be called a hoarder again!

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#5

Re: Drive From Sydney Museum Could Unlock NASA Moon Data

11/11/2008 9:48 AM

An "archiving error"? Euphimism for "colossal government agency screw-up" I suppose. All that data about moon dust would have been so much cheese powder (Moon's made of cheese, right?) if not for a fortunate happenstance of "dedicated retaining" and an obsolete computer in operable condition in a museum. And praise be the OZ folks kept ahold of 'em BOTH!

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