In October 2014 NASA delivered high-definition, 3-D footage of astronauts living and working on the worldwide Space Station to the Internet, posting video of astronauts exploring water tension in microgravity.
Advertisement
While the Hubble Space Telescope might try to claim the title of the most powerful camera in Earth’s orbit, the Red Epic Dragon capturing footage of the ISS in 4K is by far the most powerful handheld one.
“This is a huge leap in camera technology for spaceflight”, said Rodney Grubbs, program manager for the NASA Imagery Experts Program.
This high-resolution camera is capable of shooting video in up to 6K and it certainly proves its worth in this test run, it’s possible to see all of the bubbles as they shoot outwards from the weightless water bubble in which they were dissolved. “It’s like having a high-speed 35mm motion-picture film camera, but it’s compact, it can use lenses we already have up there, and it’s digital”. “No film to return to Earth”.
Scientists and researchers are hoping the clarity and slow-motion abilities the camera has will provide more information in science investigations in zero gravity.
Summer camp students at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland and students from the city’s MC STEM High School will speak with Expedition 44 crew members aboard the worldwide Space Station at 11:40 a.m. EDT Friday, July 31.
The new RED camera system is the same model used to record The Hobbit trilogy, so in terms of viewing figures, NASA’s videos have a few catching up to do.
Advertisement
NASA will post the 4K videos to the ReelNASA YouTube channel for users who have television screens or computer displays that can show footage of that resolution.
