Saturday, February 01, 2014

Remembering STS107



Eleven years ago today I heard a voice on CNN that I immediately recognized. It reminded me that the shuttle Columbia was landing that morning. It was the voice of Rick Husband, commander of STS107. Most people would not likely know the name of a space shuttle commander, let alone his voice. Kalpana Chawla, the first astronaut from India spoke next, and as I grabbed my coffee and focused on the screen my stomach sank. The vivid graphics on the screen told the story. There had been a terrible accident.

15 days, 22 hours and 20 minutes before the shuttle Columbia disintegrated on reentry a piece of foam the size of a briefcase tore a hole in the skin of its wing. All were lost. All seven of this crew that I was fortunate to get to know through my work on Space Research and You. “SPRAY” was an educational project created as part of NASA's outreach program, and one that the crew took time out of their training to be a part of. A project that focused on the important science this dedicated crew was conducting on this 28th mission of the second space shuttle to join the fleet. A traveling museum presentation with the goal of inspiring a new generation of astronauts, pilots, engineers, scientists and researchers.

This inspiration, and the technology that is born from manned space flight, is the result that President Kennedy envisioned some 40 years before February 1st, 2003. It is the reason we go. The very idea of manned space flight is the singular most important program in modern history. And the science research being done on STS107 was intended to benefit all mankind. Cancer research, osteoporosis, Ozone studies, the physics of fluids and the effects of zero gravity on the human body were just some of the more than 80 experiments being done on STS107. Six student-designed experiments were among the research that, despite the tragic loss of the crew and craft, an estimated 70 percent of the scientific objectives were achieved and the results downlinked to earth. This data continues to contribute to our knowledge base and stands as an eternal gift from seven individuals that dedicated their lives to science and the space program.

SPRAY was truly “edutainment”. Some of the last video ever taken of this crew explaining their research and what it is like to travel in space was interspersed with a co-host no other than R2D2. The actual R2D2 mind you. Many scientists behind the 80 plus experiments packed into the payload bay of STS107 were interviewed and accompanied by animations, diagrams, images, and audience participation elements. An educator-actor would guide groups of students young and old alike through an exploration of space science. SPRAY could not live on after the disaster. It did win an international award for the innovative use of technology. The ComputerWorld Smithsonian Honors Program award has a special spot on my wall and includes the STS107 mission patch and a photograph of the crew.

That same photograph was being shown on CNN and every other network by the time that it started to sink in. The crew was gone. Zero chances of survival. All the talent and guts and experience in that cockpit during reentry could not overcome the devastating effects of super hot gases entering the left wing of the craft through that seemingly small hole in the carbon fiber tiles. For the final 5 or so minutes the technicians in mission control knew there were problems. It started with a series of failed sensors in the left wing. From the ground they calmly worked the problem, all the while 3000 degree gases were penetrating the leading edge of the left wing of the space shuttle Columbia.

It was 200,000 feet over Texas and still traveling about 15,000 miles an hour when commander Rick Husband calmly acknowledged the information being passed to him from the ground. People on the ground from Texas to California reported seeing debris falling from the glowing shape of the shuttle entering the earth's atmosphere. The crew certainly saw the plasma glowing red and encapsulating the craft. Once that heat penetrated those tiles there was nothing that could be done. In fact, once the shuttle started its descent nearly an hour before, the end was inevitable.

That day the world lost Commander Rick Husband, Pilot William McCool, Payload Commander Michael Anderson, and Mission Specialists Ilan Ramon, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown and Laurel Salton Clark.

Eleven years later I feel just as sad. For the crew and their families. For the science community. For the countless young minds that could have been inspired by Space Research And You. And eleven years later, I am grateful for having such an experience as working on that particular project, as well as the many science education projects to follow.


My special thanks to Brad and Sean McClain, whose vision and passion for science education conceived and made possible Space Research And You. My thanks also to Nino Del Padre and Jon Allegrezza, with whom I worked on this project.               

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Tanzania 2012

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Tanzania 2012, a set on Flickr.

A quick glimpse at an amazing journey I enjoyed to the fullest with a group of educators.

Monday, November 07, 2011

Yellow Snow


Yellow Snow, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

Leaves and snow don't mix. This is something that New Englander's know, but few recal anything like the freak pre-Holloween storm of 2011. Several million were out of power, and some still are from Ma to Ct and NH.

For me, it was 6 days.

6 days without heat, lights, decent food, internet, editing software, battery charging and what else, oh yea, income! Blast.

Fall Storm 2011


Fall Storm 2011, originally uploaded by ArcherVision.

The trees around this area of Forest Park were already snapping and crackling as the first hours of snow started to stick. It was coming down enough to make shooting anything hard, unless you were under a tree. After a few started to come down, I thought it was a good time to pack it in. Had I known I was about to start 6 days without heat and lights, I might have stayed in the woods a while longer.

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Music Video Casting Call

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Wharehouse, a set on Flickr.

Details:
Now casting for a music video for artist Aimee Allen.
http://genero.tv/aimeeallen/

This is a Spec/Contest opportunity being taken up as a labor of love for a group of seasoned pros looking to do something stand-out. There is no money in this project, but we have a great concept and location for this shoot which will have up to 6 cameras including Del Padre Digital's RED ONE. The location is intense and sure to be visually stunning. The look will be dark, apocolypitic and engaging. Lots of 120 frames per second slow motion and cinematic effects wrapped in an edgy edit.

Here is the song we have chosen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjy0LSVC5Lo

Here are the web sites for the Director, Nino Del Padre and DP Mark Archer.
www.delpadre.com
www.archervisionphoto.com

Location Test shots:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/archervisi … 903282832/

Contact:
Mark Archer
413-221-8258

Serious inquiries only, please.

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Tornado - Springfield MA

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Tornado - Springfield MA, a set on Flickr.

A rare New England tornado touches down and wreaks havoc in Springfield MA area June 1, 2011. Wide swath of damage including 200 year old trees in the citie's court square area, overturned trucks and cars, missing billboards and missing roofs.