New image processing, old NASA photos

Scientists are digging old NASA images of obsolete reel-to-reel tapes, digitizing them, and applying modern image processing techniques to produce truer images.

Example:

Before, Earthrise, from the moon as captured by an unmanned lunar orbiter with what was then state-of-the-art technology: the image was snapped on film by a lunar orbiter, developed inside the orbiter; the negative then optically scanned (tiny section by tiny section) and then beamed in a low data-rate transmission back to earth where it was printed tiny section by tiny section, made into a positive image, and then composited into a whole:



After (same source data--- that can never be changed--- but with the final print done with modern tools, which cleaned up some noise and restored the midrange tones):


Interesting story both for the above, and also the digital forensics. For example, most of the tape drives--- each as large as a refrigerator--- used to make the reel-to-reel tapes are now resting at the bottom of the ocean as an artificial reef. The scientists had to scrounge to find working antiques that could still read the nearly-forgotten tapes.

Good (albeit geeky) reading:
http://tinyurl.com/klo9ue