At last: Some bits of Kaguya video online in reasonable detail

I have frequently bemoaned the stingy data release policy of JAXA and the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), who have chosen not to show off the full capability of the high-definition camera aboard the Kaguya lunar orbiter; they've been releasing only very low-resolution video to the Internet, and make the full-resolution video available only via DVD to educators who sign a restrictive release form. (I can send you that form if you send me an email.) At last, though, the restrictions appear to be loosening just a tiny bit; they have now released some video to the Web that, if it's not actually at HD resolution, it's at least at the resolution of standard-definition TV sets. The two videos are from the November Earthrise and Earthset releases. They're very beautiful, but short! I want more! The two 30-second videos were released in MPEG-2 format and are about 30-40 MB apiece; Doug Ellison was kind enough to convert them to Quicktime files for me, which are a much happier 2 MB apiece.

JAXA official Shin-ichi Sobue also pointed me to a new website hosted by NHK that seems to promise more video downloads in the future. It's all in Japanese though so I'm not sure what any of the text says.