No matter how big the movie, the stage play, the broadcast, or book release, work is always ephemeral, like life itself. The play’s the thing precisely because the action of life only struts and frets for a moment upon the stage. It’s like a love affair; it’s like a perfectly prepared meal; it’s like a long-planned vacation, or even time spent growing up in one’s family home. The feelings may run deep, but the only thing that lasts are shared memories.
Read MoreA REPORT FROM AN ASTEROID, A REPORT FROM THE ROAD
OSIRIS-REx is a shining light in the darkness, a story of how dedicated teams can figure out ways to pull together and do extraordinary things despite obstacles.
Read MoreWHEN DID SPECTRORADIOMETERS BECOME FINE ART?
The Arts is vital for a great civilization, but whenever government money starts getting spent, the expenditures are invariably influenced by politics.
Read MoreTHE ROMANCE OF SPACE, THE IDEALIZATION OF NASA
People also care about NASA because it represents what's right about government, at least in principle. It holds out promise and hope that someone —someone—in charge can get beyond petty arguments about superficial things and actually bring something complicated--like a mission to another planet!-- into being. NASA represents the nation we wish were our own no matter what nation we call home.
Read MoreA DEPARTURE, AN ARRIVAL
Aboard that rocket is the accumulated effort of many diverse people, spanning years and miles. As it rises into space, the major engineering phase ends and the operational scientific phase begins --Photo by Bill Ingalls, NASA
Read MoreLAUNCH REHEARSAL -- Tanegashima Space Center, Feb 22
A rocket very similar to this one will carry the GPM satellite into space. The whole enterprise is the product of hundreds of people, all working to do something none of them could do alone.
Read MorePursuit of Light -- A New Film for NASA
Big data; awesome images; indie filmmaking. The Space Shuttles may now be tasked with the gentle job of attracting museum traffic, but NASA has no intentions of staying on Earth. With the releases a spectacular six minute movie, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate aims high and goes deep. Called PURSUIT OF LIGHT, it's built from some of the biggest data sets ever captured. The movie is a visual poem about up-to-the-minute areas of hot NASA research with an eye toward humanity’s place in a dynamic universe. Combined with arresting time lapse footage of the natural world and a moody, energetic score, PURSUIT OF LIGHT presents an exciting take on daring NASA science in the 21st century. Click the link below to see it in HD, but if you're hip enough to have a monster projector, you can download the full sized, 3420x1152 pixel production from here: http://1.usa.gov/JNmk5Q.
Don't let the quieted Space Shuttles fool you: this is a modern off-the-planet movie about for a data-driven world.
Check it out and send your feedback!
Almost, almost, al...mo...st....
We're getting very close to wrapping a great new piece, designed to play on an ultrawide screen technology. For those of you who geek out on this stuff, we're mastering the final piece at 3420 x 1152. That's a LOT of pixels! Way bigger than HDTV. The premiere will be at the Dulles Annex of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum on April 19, with multiple follow-on shows scheduled throughout the year. But when it hits the web (and it most certainly will right away), you'd better believe you'll be able to see it here, too!
--MS