From The Archives: Apollo Tests Terrain Photo Capability

The cover of the May 26, 1969, issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology shows plants growing in Imperial Valley in California near the Salton Sea, glowing red in one of the multispectral terrain photographs from the Apollo 9 S0-65 experiment.

Infrared color film in the Apollo 9 S0-65 terrain photography experiment distinguished in bright red the early vigor of irrigated crops, predominantly alfalfa and sugar beets, from fields in the Mexican part of the valley, around Mexicali.

Read the special report on page 37 with more color photos beginning on page 50. See more details of the cover photo on page 44. 

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