The last two years have been nothing short of incredible with all of the different special events that we have been throwing. So let’s jump-start this new decade by looking back at the best photos from these special events.
Category Archives: News
Destination Mars: The New Frontier – Watch the Trailer
Ever wonder what it would be like to fly to Mars? NASA – and others – have their sights set on the Red Planet and they’re building the technology to get us there! Destination Mars: The New Frontier gives you an up-close look at humanity’s most epic endeavor.
Explore the work being done around the globe to help make the dream of getting humans to Mars a reality. Fly through the International Space Station, where astronauts are already living and working in space, and follow the rockets and vehicles that will take humans beyond the Moon and, one day, all the way to Mars! Travel along as we imagine this remarkable journey.
Narrated by former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison and Emmy-award winning actor Keith David. Includes original music by Claudio Ragazzi, a Grammy Award-winning professor at Boston’s Berklee College of Music.
- Running time is 30 minutes.
- Available for unidirectional and concentric dome formats.
- Suitable for family audiences and school groups. Includes a comprehensive educator’s guide.
- Distributed by Sky-Skan, Spitz, K2 Studios, and Loch Ness Productions.
This material is based upon work supported by NASA under grant number NNX16AM21G. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the Museum of Science, Boston and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Exploring Render Engines for Fulldome Production
In recent years, the 3D industry went from very little support of fisheye rendering and now every modern render engine fully embraces it. I think we can thank the rise of VR for helping to shine a light on immersive production.
We recently had a chance to upgrade the render engine that we use in Maya for producing our fulldome shows. We were also able to add some computers to our old 10-node render farm. Many thanks to the Charles Hayden Foundation for the grant that made this vital tech leap possible.
With the recent introduction of GPU render engines, things are a bit more convoluted when considered alongside CPU render engines. Yet each render engine is unique and excels at different aspects, so it makes comparing them tricky work.
And so I thought it would be useful to hear from the fulldome community…
Expedition to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
We recently traveled to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to gather reference imagery for our planetarium show production about human spaceflight to Mars. What an epic trip!
It was surreal to walk inside of the Vehicle Assembly Building and travel up to the 37th floor of this incredibly huge single-story building. Currently the VAB is being retrofitted so that the SLS rocket can be vertically assembled within. This retrofit includes special motorized platforms which can be moved into place according to the needs of the project at hand.
2017 in Review: Special Events
What an intense year! We threw a huge amount of unique and challenging special events and learned a ton in the process. Currently we are deep in production of our new fulldome show about human spaceflight to Mars, which we received a NASA grant to create. But before jumping into this new year I’d like to look back at 2017 and share what we’ve been up to.
NASA Grant – Jackson Hole Finalist – Boston Globe Article
NASA Grant: Planetarium Show
A while back we applied for a NASA grant and we’ve been patiently waiting to hear the results… And we are thrilled to announce that we have been selected! We are one of nine organizations chosen from 73 applications through a peer-reviewed process.
The two-year NASA grant will enable us to capture the excitement of the next generation’s moonshot — the human journey to Mars and back. We will create two educational experiences that will bring to life the engineering skills and team spirit fueling this historic pioneering endeavor. So stay tuned…
Image Source: NASA Project Apollo Archive
Interviews at IMERSA 2016 – Recent Challenges
It’s been fascinating to see IMERSA evolve and mature over the last few years. And since things are moving so fast, I wanted to document the challenges being faced in the immersive community with a series of interviews.
Last year at IMERSA there were nervous murmurings of VR, but this year there is clear excitement. It’s particularly interesting to see fulldome producers realize that they already possess the tools, skills, and ultra high resolution workflows to create polished VR experiences.
The Dome Dialogues – Andrew Hazelden
An interview with the man that needs no introduction! Andrew Hazelden and I discuss the many vital production tools that he has been creating for fulldome and VR. We discuss in-depth tools such as: Domemaster3D, PlayblastVR, RocketComp, Domemaster Fusion Macros.
IMERSA Summit 2016: Presentations We’re Giving
We are going to be at the upcoming IMERSA Summit and sharing several presentations. With so much that’s been happening lately in the immersive community, it’s bound to be an exciting conference this year. David, Heather, and I will each be on different panels and giving presentations. Hope you can check out what we’ve been working on!
Upcoming Special Events in the Planetarium
Image Source: A Slower Speed of Light
Einstein’s Playground
— February 11, 2016 /// 7:15pm
— Gerd Kortemeyer, PhD, associate professor of physics at Michigan State University
Have you ever wanted to experience the complete distortion of time and space as we know it? The Charles Hayden Planetarium has partnered with the MIT Game Lab to immerse you in a virtual special relativity playground where you’ll witness the laws of physics in a completely new way. Using the power of video games, we’ll turn Einstein’s most famous theory from an abstract concept into something you can encounter yourself right here at the Museum of Science. Experience the effects of movement, time, and space as you’ve never been able to before!
