As others have mentioned, technology now allows anyone with a 4" scope or larger to take similar images of the Moon. I have an 8" scope and an inexpensive camera and can take detailed images of the Moon anytime it is in the sky. Buy, or borrow a telescope and take a look at the beauty of our Moon. Beats the heck out of most of the TV programs that are on at night.

Note that if you have a 4" of larger telescope, you can see the same or better images of the Moon's surface from your back yard. When I showed someone the Moon through my telescope, she exclaimed, "Does the government know about this?"

Your caption on photo 7, referring to Crater 308 says "The far side of the moon is rough with craters and marks. Further, the moon's gravitational pull on Earth is weaker on the far side of the moon." This has nothing to do with the far side of the moon. The moon's orbit is asynchronous, and the moon's mass is constant. It's gravitational force on the earth has only to do with it's position. The moon's effect on the earth is stronger on whichever part of the earth is facing the moon.