# Great wall from space
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-wall-from-space/282228
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
**Created:** [December 30, 2004, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-wall-from-space/282228 "2004-12-30T08:18:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Raiden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raiden)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2004, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-wall-from-space/282228/1 "2004-12-30T08:18:45Z")
“You can see the Great Wall,” confirms astronaut Ed Lu, who was the science officer of Expedition Seven on the International Space Station. The station circles Earth higher than Yang Liwei’s orbit.
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Link to Cecil’s Column: [Is the Great Wall of China the only manmade object you can see from space?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_092.html)
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### Author:  [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2004, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-wall-from-space/282228/2 "2004-12-30T08:24:28Z")
> [@Raiden](#):
>
> “You can see the Great Wall,” confirms astronaut Ed Lu, who was the science officer of Expedition Seven on the International Space Station. The station circles Earth higher than Yang Liwei’s orbit.
Come 1st January, I wonder if they’ll be able to see the march in Hong Kong.
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### Author:  [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2004, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-wall-from-space/282228/3 "2004-12-30T10:50:03Z")
> [@Raiden](#):
>
> “You can see the Great Wall,” confirms astronaut Ed Lu, who was the science officer of Expedition Seven on the International Space Station. The station circles Earth higher than Yang Liwei’s orbit.
Link? One suspects a certain amount of wishful thinking.
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### Author:  [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2004, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-wall-from-space/282228/4 "2004-12-30T12:34:19Z")
Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards, **Raiden** , we’re glad to have you with us. When you start a thread, it’s helpful to others if you provide a link to the column you’re discussing. No biggie, I’ve edited one in for you, and you’ll know for next time. Again, welcome!
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### Author:  [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-wall-from-space/282228/5 "2004-12-30T18:49:15Z")
Cecil’s column didn’t claim that one can’t see the Great Wall from orbit, but only that (a) it’s not the _only_ man-made structure that you can see from space, and that (b) you _can’t_ see it from the Moon.
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### Author:  [@grg88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grg88)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2005, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-wall-from-space/282228/6 "2005-01-03T01:25:10Z")
> [@SCSimmons](#):
>
> Cecil’s column didn’t claim that one can’t see the Great Wall from orbit, but only that (a) it’s not the _only_ man-made structure that you can see from space, and that (b) you _can’t_ see it from the Moon.
It’s seems somewhat unlikely one can see TGWOC or a road from earth orbit. Think of the last time you looked down from an airplane at typical jet cruising altitude, 30,000 feet. You could probably make out roads quite easily if you have fair or better eyesight.
Now imagine you were SIXTEEN times higher. Everything would look sixteen times smaller. Probably pushing the limits of human eyesight to see something that narrow.
Cecil’s comments about Gemini photos showing the launch pad are not terribly germane-- we don’t know what kind of lens was on the camera. If it had a telephoto lens, that would make the pictures not comparable to human eyesight.
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [January 3, 2005, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-wall-from-space/282228/7 "2005-01-03T06:20:42Z")
Much more about Ed Lu from a [previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=244718)