# If you pointed the Hubble telescope at the moon... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 29, 2002, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pointed-the-hubble-telescope-at-the-moon/116537 "2002-06-29T04:35:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pointed-the-hubble-telescope-at-the-moon/116537/21 "2002-07-01T22:22:10Z")
A man could walk out of these forums virtually nit free. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pointed-the-hubble-telescope-at-the-moon/116537/22 "2002-07-01T22:44:10Z")
Ok, suppose you lase a lander? The return would be scattered, of course, but I would think enough light might be reflected to show up. In other words, with existing technology, could you create circumstances that would ALLOW the Hubble to produce images in which human artifacts can be picked out? ---
**Author:** ![jhwood9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9e8a1a/32.png) [@jhwood9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jhwood9)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pointed-the-hubble-telescope-at-the-moon/116537/23 "2002-07-02T19:12:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*Been there, done that. One of the things Neil and Buzz left on the surface was a corner reflector, for exactly this purpose. You shine a high-power laser at the Moon, and you can get back a faint, but detectable (to the aforementioned good telescope), reflection. It’s used primarily for ranging experiments, to determine the exact distance to the Moon. \*\* Very good for scientific purposes, but it misses the whole point of my post. Yes, you can set up a very scientific experiment to detect echoes from man-made items on the moon, but is this going to convince John Q. Blockhead that mankind has been to the moon? We need to put something up there visible to the naked eye, or visible through a backyard telescope. Seeing is believing, and the average knucklehead on the street will only be convinced when he can see it with his own eyeballs. –jhw [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pointed-the-hubble-telescope-at-the-moon/116537.md?page=1)