Microsoft, NASA Allow For 3D Shuttle View

C|Net reports that a 3D software version of the space shuttle Endeavor is in the works, thanks to a collaboration project between Microsoft and NASA. The Photosynth viewer will allow fans of the space program an unprecedented level of detail in examining the shuttle and its surrounds at the Kennedy Space Center. ""It's much like a 3D video game--people can explore, walk around or fly around the shuttle," said Adam Sheppard, group product manager for Microsoft Live Labs, which developed the viewer. NASA said that the project could lead to more initiatives with the software giant. Chris Kemp, director of strategic business development at NASA's Ames Research Center, said that, for example, NASA could use the Photosynth technology on future space missions for activities such as inspecting the International Space Station and viewing landing sites on the moon."

Beer goggles

I think they should include a 3D representation of what they inside of the shuttle looks like after a few drinks. Sort of a 'before and after' kind of thing.

Re:

Lets just hope that armed guards don't rip the image from your screen in the middle of viewing it.

Re:

Lets just hope that armed guards don't rip the image from your screen in the middle of viewing it.

Yeah, it's interesting that they wanna classify everything about the Saturn V, but want everybody to see the Shuttle. Almost as though they're trying to say, "Here, look at this nifty piece of engineering. Please steal it and go broke making it work."

Re:

I want a "Here's what it will look like after it's phased out in just a few years" 3-D view, showing it in a museum. Or maybe we could get a "Here's what we have to replace it" view, showing an empty pad.

Re:

Seriously, does anyone know of a 3D model of the inside of a Shuttle? I have a graphic novel I'm working on which could benefit greatly from the ability to set up some 3D scenes to use for reference drawing the interiors.

Interesting

As I understand it (I'm a Brit so may not be quite correct) NASA, as a Federal Government entity, are under some sort of mandate that their creations must be released into the Public Domain.

Does this extend to third parties working for and on behalf of NASA?

Re:

CENDI Copyright Task Group FAQ [cendi.gov]:

Unlike works of the U.S. Government, works produced by contractors under government contracts are protected under U.S. Copyright Law. (See Schnapper v. Foley, 667 F.2d 102 (D.C. Cir. 1981), cert. denied, 455 U.S. 948 (1982).) The ownership of the copyright depends on the terms of the contract. Contract terms and conditions vary between civilian agencies or NASA and the military.

Re:

Literally everything NASA makes is created by contractors. They do prototype engineering and some physical prototype development in-house and then contract it out for final changes, drawings, documentation, etc. With that said, I know as a contractor, regardless of our copyright, if my company wanted to release or barter with NASA's information we are prohibited by export control laws. In some contracts the company owns the resulting intellectual property, and in some it does not but the unvarying factor se

Great idea!

Mine's a pint, chaps.

KSC....

I also highly encourage everyone to actually GO to Kennedy Space Center. The have a lot of exhibits including a Saturn V rocket that's on it's side, indoors. It's only an hour's drive from Orlando and is a great way to spend a day. Unfortunately the tour of KSC doesn't allow you into the Vehicle Assembly Building.

Re:

When would you have time? My Gods, I went there, expecting it to be like the Johnson Space Center, a half day diversion. WRONG. We spent the entire day, I was thoroughly geeked out, spent more at their gift shop than I did in 3 subsequent days at Disney World, and almost as much as we spent in Nassau on the cruise the previous week.

KSC has got to be one of the best National tours around. The only thing better is the Smithsonian Air and Space, and a close third to the KSC is the museum at Wright-Patterson A

Microsoft R&D dominates SIGGRAPH conference

In recent years MicroSoft labs (inluding UK and Beijing) have been co-authors on 20% of the papers. Thats pretty spectacular considering the conference has 90% paper rejection rate. Theyve talked about their photo-reconstruction R&D a couple times there. To me the main disappointment has been the lack of technology to mainstream MicroSoft computer products. Occasionally they've spunoff some of these results to startups.

MicroSoft has had one of the ten largest industrial research labs in the world. Some people have accused it being a tax writeoff. They are sort of like Bell Labs and Xerox PARC in not commercializing alot of results and less like IBM and GE who are more successful. Many of MSFT's publiched results are linked on their website.

Re:

Nah, they should nationalize Microsoft. That would fix the deficit.

Re:

Ain't nothin' worth explorin' any more ;)

Re:

The space shuttle Endeavour is named after HMB Endeavour, the ship (bark) used by Captain James Cook on his trip to
the Pacific encountering ("discovering would have been the contemporary term, I guess) Australia, New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef (amongst others).

(Actually, there have been several Endeavours in British Naval History).

Cook's Endeavour arrived home safely and (arguably) eventually sank off of Rhode Island.

Cook himself died at the hand of uppity native Hawaiian - they paid the price event

Re:

Cook himself died at the hand of uppity native Hawaiian - they paid the price eventually, of course.

It is reported that the Hawaiian chieftan was offended by Cook joking around with his daughter. Cook reportedly said, "Kamanaiwannalaiya." It is still unclear in most historians minds as to whether it was the insult to the daughter or the use of a really bad Hawaiian joke that caused the chief to order Cook's execution.

Re:Spelling!

From NASA's web site: [nasa.gov]

Endeavour is named after the first ship commanded by 18th century British explorer James Cook. On its maiden voyage in 1768, Cook sailed into the South Pacific and around Tahiti to observe the passage of Venus between the Earth and the Sun. During another leg of the journey, Cook discovered New Zealand, surveyed Australia and navigated the Great Barrier Reef.

Saying he discovered New Zealand is a bit strange though, Abel Tasman did that.

Re:Spelling!

Yeah, in this case it should be Endeavour, but not because it is the 'british spelling', but because NASA said so earlier. To that effect, they could have chosen the Klingon spelling as well.

Re:Spelling!

I thought that it was the Maoris that discovered New Zealand - oh well, my mistake.

Re:

I remember that this kind of thing used to be done with VRML [wikipedia.org]...

Remember the XFL

Remember the fly around stuff the XFL used? They had a ton of cameras stationed around the stadium and then used software to fill in the gaps. It was one of the cool things that came out of that abomination. On playback, they would fly around the scene and you could get a better idea of what the QB or receiver sees.

Now that they are bringing the technology to the home user this could be really cool, being in control of the fly around.

There was a space shuttle sim, actually

Actually, I seem to remember playing some space shuttle sim in the 90's. Can't remember the name for the life of me, though.

IIRC you had to flip buttons until you got RSI just to lift-off, and landing was a bit like trying to fly a brick. I mean, in most flight sims you come almost horizontal at the runway, while this thing... well, let's just say that it seemed like the difference between landing it and free fall seemed mostly semantics.

The experience was almost invariably along the lines of "damn, this is

Re:

Actually, I seem to remember playing some space shuttle sim in the 90's. Can't remember the name for the life of me, though.

Well, Rendezvous: A Space Shuttle Flight Simulation [imdb.com] (yeah, the Internet Movie Database lists games too) by Moby Games [mobygames.com] came out in 1982 for the Apple II and the Atari. It's possible you could have played it in the 1990s, but there may have been a better shuttle simulator than that one available by then.

Written in AppleSoft BASIC and Atari BASIC, I wonder if its code could be adjusted to give faster framerates in a cranked-up Apple II or Atari emulator.

Re:

by Moby Games

I should have read that page more carefully. Developer was Titan Computer Products and it was published by EduWare Services, Inc. It was designed and written by Wes Huntress. Wes and others started Electric Transit when EduWare Services was bought by Management Sciences America.

Moby Games just had a page about the game.

Re:

I think all their 3D stuff done with the Mars rovers were Java based and some Java3D. So, in comes Microsoft to purchase the hearts and minds of the management to push out that which the engineers developed originally.

yup, there's a good chunk of Java and 3D at NASA so it's time for Microsoft to push those silly ideas out:
http://www.google.com/search?q=nasa+java+3d [google.com]

We've all seen this play out over and over again and after all, isn't it why we just love Microsoft? ;-/

LoB