NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

This mesmerizing visualization system developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) uses computers and video projectors to display animated data on the outside of a suspended, 6-foot diameter, white sphere. Four strategically placed projectors work in unison to coat the sphere with data such as '3-D surface of the earth and Nighttime Lights,' 'moon and Mars' and 'X-Ray Sun.'

The Sphere displaying North and South America.

Built as a vehicle for education and public outreach programs, SOS targets three audiences: walk in visitors and scheduled event participants, students and teachers participating in formal education exercises, and science professionals who use SOS as a platform to share their work with the science community.

Feature Movie: Footprints

Goddard's senior media producer Michael Starobin, in collaboration with video editor Vicky Weeks, the Conceptual Image Lab and the scientific Visualization Studio here at Goddard, made the first movie to be seen on SOS entitled "Footprints." The movie consists of a visually rich presentation where the earth appears in a variety of guises, from depictions of the biosphere to planetary views of city lights at night to dramatic examinations about the science of hurricane formation. The movie also includes other moons and planets with a special presentation of our moon and Mars. But, more than a showcase for discrete data sets, the movie provides a conceptual framework about the human drive to explore. By combining data with narration, inventive pictures and dramatic sound, "Footprints" seeks to engage and enthuse audiences about the real-world uses and majesty of NASA's observations.

> Learn More About Footprints

For summer 2008, Science on a Sphere will play according to the following schedule: 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on weekends.