Path: csiph.com!weretis.net!feeder6.news.weretis.net!nntp.club.cc.cmu.edu!micro-heart-of-gold.mit.edu!newsswitch.lcs.mit.edu!nntp.TheWorld.com!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: moroney@world.std.spaamtrap.com (Michael Moroney)
Newsgroups: sci.physics.relativity
Subject: Re: MIT Lunar reflector experiment
Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2016 13:53:19 +0000 (UTC)
Organization: The World : www.TheWorld.com : Since 1989
Lines: 15
Message-ID: <nquesf$lin$3@pcls7.std.com>
References: <9e656124-6c1f-4c64-a5e1-e08c53e579c2@googlegroups.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: shell01.theworld.com
X-Trace: pcls7.std.com 1473429199 22103 192.74.137.71 (9 Sep 2016 13:53:19 GMT)
X-Complaints-To: abuse@TheWorld.com
NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2016 13:53:19 +0000 (UTC)
User-Agent: nn/6.6.5
Xref: csiph.com sci.physics.relativity:391879

numbernumber1964@gmail.com writes:

>The Apollo lander cannot be viewed using the Hubble telescope; consequently
>, a laser beam, that originates from the earth and reflected by the lunar
>reflector that has a surface area of approximately one square meter cannot
>form a measurable intensity viewed by the Hubble since using the Hubble
>space telescope would require a illuminated object, on the surface of the
>moon, that has a diameter of 200 meters!

Nope. The Hubble could not _image_ the reflector.  It will be seen as a
featureless point of light, just like the stars in the night sky, which
are dozens or hundreds of light years distant but have a diameter only
on the order of a million km.  Obviously, if photons are reflected from
the mirror and reach the Hubble, they will trigger the photosensors.