More than 100,000 solar panels to hail Apollo moon landing

| Read time: 2 minute(s)
Different agencies and organisations are celebrating 50 years anniversary of Apollo 11 moon landing in their own special way, but Google definitely has a way for celebrations. The web company’s Mao team has designed portrait of Apollo program lead software engineer, Margaret Hamilton, using reflective solar panels and the light of the Moon. The portrait is made up of more than 107,000 mirrors, which cover an area spanning 1.4-square miles (that can fit almost 650 football fields or more than 200 Eiffel Towers lined up side-by-side!) at the Ivanpah solar facility in the Mojave Desert. The gigantic image includes not only a portrait of Hamilton, but also her name along with the “Apollo 11” mission title and an image of the lunar lander used to bring astronauts to the surface for the first time, in which Hamilton played a key role. When turned, the solar mirrors illuminate the face of Hamilton, along with an image of a moon drone. You could spot the image created from as high up as 1,900 meters (about 6,233 feet). Fun fact In 1969, it took 400,000 people to put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon. The American flag on the Moon was customised, allowing it to “fly” in space. However, the flag is not believed to still be upright.

Different agencies and organisations are celebrating 50 years anniversary of Apollo 11 moon landing in their own special way, but Google definitely has a way for celebrations. The web company’s Mao team has designed portrait of Apollo program lead software engineer, Margaret Hamilton, using reflective solar panels and the light of the Moon.

The portrait is made up of more than 107,000 mirrors, which cover an area spanning 1.4-square miles (that can fit almost 650 football fields or more than 200 Eiffel Towers lined up side-by-side!) at the Ivanpah solar facility in the Mojave Desert. 

The gigantic image includes not only a portrait of Hamilton, but also her name along with the “Apollo 11” mission title and an image of the lunar lander used to bring astronauts to the surface for the first time, in which Hamilton played a key role. When turned, the solar mirrors illuminate the face of Hamilton, along with an image of a moon drone. You could spot the image created from as high up as 1,900 meters (about 6,233 feet). 

Fun Fact

In 1969, it took 400,000 people to put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon. The American flag on the Moon was customised, allowing it to “fly” in space. However, the flag is not believed to still be upright.

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