Lewis & Clark Revisited: Satellite Archeology Digs Out The Past

[vniow]

I'm suprised dukestreet hasn't posted this yet.

The U.S. Congress made an Apollo-like decision nearly 200 years ago to dispatch an expedition of explorers into uncharted territory. Back then the financial bar to probe the unknown was a bit lower than the $25 billion needed to hurl human adventurers to the Moon.

Two centuries ago, American President Thomas Jefferson sought a paltry $2,500 in funds. In 1803, Congress did allocate the money, footing the bill to send what Jefferson later tagged as the Corps of Discovery into territory west of the Mississippi River - beyond the western border of the United States.

Striking out the following year from St. Louis, Missouri, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the 35-member band of intrepid surveyors on an arduous 19-month journey into strange surroundings - to the Pacific Ocean and back. Meticulous journals were kept. Landscape conditions were noted. Plant, animal life and aboriginal inhabitants, as well as waterways were among items recorded - all for the history books.

Now thanks to a 21st century merger of remote sensing spacecraft, computer technology and special software, the pioneering Lewis and Clark trail is once again being surveyed.

This on-going archeology from on high offers an enlightening high-tech flashback into America's ecological past. In some cases, the pictures are not pretty.

 

[wdlove]

Has anyone seen the Ken Burns special on PBS "Lewis & Clark." I found this to be a fascinating series. It was told using the diary entries of the men on the expedition. Used photo's, documents, and treasurers of the past along with using a reinactment of the actual trail used by Lewis and Clark. A great history lesson told by a great story teller via his camera lens.

http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Re: Lewis & Clark Revisited: Satellite Archeology Digs Out The Past

Originally posted by edvniow
I'm suprised dukestreet hasn't posted this yet.

http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/lewis_clark_121223.html

Ha, hadn't seen that one, otherwise, yes, I would have posted it.

Very cool stuff and I've seen some of the show, but not all. There is a book out about their travels that's on my short list of things I want to read. It really would have been wonderful to have seen what they saw, nothing like it in the world today.

D