Smarter Geek

Microsoft Bing Maps have just demoed the new mapping feature at TED. This is really cutting edge mapping technology that is shown off some awesome 3D views integrated with street side view and it shows the integration of Flickr photos and real time live video.

Now if we could just get this sort of map integration with Windows Phone 7….

Recently new video has been released of the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. This video was give to the Space Exploration Archive soon before the death of the person who recorded the video. What is interesting is the initial reaction of the people to the explosion of “That looks like trouble” and then they realise that “it exploded”.

Source Louiville Courier Journal

Just found this seriously realistic video of the space shuttle destroyed in orbit. While the productions values of this video are really good it also make you think just how dangerous space travel still is and what could happen with the final 5 space shuttle trips.

Now being critical of the video there are a couple of inaccurate points I would like to point out.

1. If it blew up in space there actually would not be any charring as explosions in space do not have any flames because they are in a vacuum. In fact this is exactly why Apollo 13 did not burn up in a fireball when it exploded.
2. An explosion would have left all the bit flying and spinning out all over the place. There is no way that the relative motion of the fragments would be the same as the ISS. Clearly this is just stock footage of the space shuttle with damage superimposed. Having a static background also makes it very easy to cut away parts of the space ship.
3. As the damage is all over the spare shuttle it is pretty safe to assume that it was hit by some sort of debris. If this was the case then why did the ISS also escape harm.

This is a photo of the Ares 1-X first stage booster. I believe this momentary condensation plume is the moment where the booster drops out of warp…. err.. mach speed and starts going sub-sonic.

See the full video below.

This video was recorded from a plane using a HD camera using gryo’s to keep the image steady. Totally Amazing how this capture almost the entire flight of the first stage booster including the blow out of one of the parachutes that caused it to splash down harder than expected into the ocean.