NASA released an interactive, 3-D photographic
collection of internal and external views of the International Space
Station and a model of the next Mars rover on Thursday, May 7.
NASA and Microsoft's Virtual Earth team developed the online
experience with hundreds of photographs and Microsoft's photo imaging
technology called Photosynth. Using a click-and-drag interface,
viewers can zoom in to see details of the space station's modules and
solar arrays or zoom out for a more global view of the complex.
The Space Station photo synth
Note: The PhotoSynth seems a bit flaky in FireFox - backgrounds disappear and Unknown Errors occur. Seems fine in IE (probably because the SilverLight browser add-on needed for display comes from Microsoft).
"Photosynth brings the public closer to our spaceflight equipment and
hardware, " said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space
Operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The space station
pictures are not simulations or graphic representations but actual
images taken recently by astronauts while in orbit. Although you're
not flying 220 miles above the Earth at 17, 500 miles an hour, it
allows you to navigate and view amazing details of the real station
as though you were there."
The software uses photographs from standard digital cameras to
construct a 3-D view that can be navigated and explored online.
"This stunning collection of photographs using Microsoft's Photosynth
interactive 3-D imaging technology provides people around the world
with an exciting new way to explore the space station and learn about
NASA's upcoming Mars Science Laboratory mission, " said S. Pete
Worden, director of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field,
Calif. "This collaboration with Microsoft offers the public the
opportunity to participate in future exploration using this
innovative technology."
The Mars rover imagery gives viewers an opportunity to preview the
hardware of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory, currently being assembled
for launch to the Red Planet in 2011.
"We are making this enhanced viewing experience available from the
Mars Science Laboratory project because we're eager for the public to
share in the excitement that's building for this mission, " said Fuk
Li, manager of NASA's Mars Exploration Program at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
NASA's Photosynth collection can be viewed at: http://www.nasa.gov/photosynth
The NASA images also can be viewed on Microsoft's Virtual Earth Web site at: http://www.microsoft.com/virtualearth
While roaming through different components of the station, the public
also can join in a scavenger hunt. NASA has a list of items that can
be found in the Photosynth collection. These items include a station
crew patch, a spacesuit and a bell that is traditionally used to
announce the arrival of a visiting spacecraft. Clues to help in the
hunt will be posted on NASA's Facebook page and @NASA on Twitter. To
access these sites, visit: , a target="_blank" href="http://www.nasa.gov/collaborate">http://www.nasa.gov/collaborate
NASA astronaut Sandra Magnus took the internal images of the space
station during the 129 days she lived aboard the complex. She
photographed the station's exterior while aboard the space shuttle
Discovery, which flew her back to Earth in March. The rover images
were taken of a full-scale model in a Mars-simulation testing area at
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Photosynth has
multiple potential benefits for NASA. Engineers can use it to examine
hardware, and astronauts can use it for space station familiarization
training.
Photosynth software allows the combination of up to thousands of
regular digital photos of a scene to present a detailed 3-D model of
a subject, giving viewers the sensation of smoothly gliding around
the scene from every angle. A collection can be constructed using
photos from a single source or multiple sources. The NASA Photosynth
collection also includes shuttle Endeavour preparing for its STS-118
mission in August 2008.
For more information about the space station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station
For more information about the Mars Science Laboratory, visit: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl
US $249.99
