Explore the moon from home

Google gives us all the chance to get up there

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 shuttle landing on the moon, Google Earth and NASA have teamed up to bring the moon within reach. Using Google Earth 5.0 users can now view an interactive, 3-D map of the moon.

The collaboration between NASA and Google Earth is a commemorative symbol of the epic space expedition undertaken on July 20th, 1969, and signifies a resurgence of interest in space exploration.

Using Google Earth users can explore the moon at ‘street level’, follow guided tours by Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and watch unseen footage of the lunar surface. Lunar Mapping provides a 3D terrain model to give an insight into the real geographical look of the moon.

Anousheh Ansari was the first ever female space tourist and was present at the announcement in Washington. "Moon in Google Earth enables you to explore lunar imagery as well as informational content about the Apollo landing sites, panoramic images shot by the Apollo astronauts, narrated tours and much more," she said. "I believe that this educational tool is a critical step into the future, a way to both develop the dreams of young people globally, and inspire new audacious goals."

The Moon in Google Earth was jointly developed by Google, the NASA Ames Intelligent Robotics Group, and the SETI Institute as part of NASA's Planetary Content project. "We're excited to be a part of this latest chapter in Google's efforts to bring virtual exploration of the moon to anyone with a computer,” said S. Pete Worden, director of NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California.