The project's 9'x11' control room  room is located in a basement, with 5 live monitors, main data recorder, GBC TG-105 time date generator, camera input selector, WWV receivers, old computer and monitor, etc. on the long  east wall. VHS data tapes are also stored in that wall unit. On the 9' (shorter) walL is the image processing console. The current telescope configuration can be seen at:

At present the project has had over 40 scanning sessions, averaging 1.5 to 2 hrs per session/data tape. The CCD cameras image at 1800 frames per minute. The Earth's atmosphere (especially in the midwest where the project is located) is not always very conducive to good lunar imaging, however. The tapes are made with 400-line CCD cameras, so the images observed "live" and recorded are somewhat "raw" images. An aperture video correction device was originally in-line, but not used because the project didn't want to influence the original images. Last year The Lunascan Project obtained the use of a new computer and recently bought a Canon S600 bubble jet printer. Once the project could successfully print hi-res images the Image Processing Console was set up on the north wall of the control room,

The Image Processing Console includes the new computer and monitor, with the following items stacked above as shown in the photo at upper right: The AVCD (aperture video correction device), miniature VHS recorder/playback unit with slow-motion and image pause control, audio cassette playback unit (making the console audio/video processing), 13" color composite monitor, and  power center. A flatbed scanner is also located to the left of the keyboard with the printer to the left and out of frame. The computer has Snappy frame-grab software and the signal from the AVCD is the bypass (off) or enhanced (on) signal. The AVCD has detail and gain control. Running or still, raw or enhanced images are fed both to the composite monitor and the computer screen.

The Snappy program frame grabber is set at 1500 x 1125 and the "raw" images are saved as Bitmap files and later stored on CD by date. Images are also processed by Adobe Photo Shop 4.0 after enhancement by the AVCD and saved with a small image width in JPG format for use as thumbnails and useable enlargements on the data sheet such as:

Each selected-for-note image is numbered by session date, such as the above, which is 960525-12. The date is simply June 25, 1996 and the image number is 12 and usually no more than two digits. Most sessions have about two dozen images selected and datasheets are made for each one. The very notable ones also have a larger page associated with them that have 7"x9" images rotated 90-degrees CCW. Both are encased in one sheet protector with a cardstock stiffener in-between so that any image with data can be pulled out of the binder when needed.

Noteworthy datasheets and images are then placed on the Lunascan Project web site under the appropriate Rukl Chart directory along with other similar images by other project members and  lunar researchers.

Francis Ridge
Coordinator,
The Lunascan Project