Google Earth to Launch Moon Map, Sources Say

Google sent out invitations to the media on Thursday, announcing that the company will hold a press conference in Washington D.C., the capital of the United States, on the 20th of this month, to unveil "a very special new feature of Google Earth."

According to media reports, Google will announce the Moon Map feature of Google Earth during this event. This is because July 20, 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11's landing on the moon. It is reported that Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin will give a speech at the event, and Andrew Chaikin, the author of *A Man on the Moon*, will also be in attendance.

Google has been collaborating with NASA for many years, and it is said that the Moon Map feature of Google Earth will use the latest high-definition lunar images captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which was launched in June. Prior to this, Google already had a "Google Moon" project website that provided some lunar images and marked the Apollo program's landing sites. However, it is believed that the new lunar map feature in Google Earth will significantly expand upon this functionality.