Dear Friends,

I will be shooting the next shuttle launch with one Toshbia HD-SDI POV camera (with a good lens) and two Canon XL H1's (original models) with the original 20X lens.

(I could go with a Canon L-Series 300mm lens which will give me an effective Focal Length of 2,160 mm, but no image stabalization. It may be very difficult to track the vehicle after launch with this lens.)

Each camera will have a nanoFlash.

I will most likely be on top of the Vertical Assembly Building (VAB), about 3.3 miles from the pad.
Alternatively, I could shoot from the Press Area (solid ground), also about 3.3. miles from the pad.

Obviously I want to get the best images possible. I have only one chance, but I can set up the two identical cameras separately. One will be zoomed in on the vehicle, other other may be slightly wider.

I am looking for suggestions for the proper exposure and other considerations.

The roof of the VAB (and the whole building) is subject to shaking by the wind. I will have the Cestron Tripod isolators on each tripod.

Normally, when using a tripod, one should turn off the image stabilizer. However, in this situation, I feel that the image stabilizer may actually help stabilize the image. The cameras will be on tripods.

Should I use Image Stabilization?

If I manually expose for the image, prior to the launch, I am assuming that the Solid Rocket Booster will be overexposed as soon as we have ignition.

I want "Pretty Images", but I also want to see the detail of the entire launch vehicle.

I am afraid if I put the camera on automatic exposure, then the brightness of the exhaust will darken the vehicle.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Hi Dan,

I recently just bought the Nanoflash for my XL H1S!!!!

I would keep IS on despite being on tripods ... it'll help more than be a detriment.

You should definitely manual expose as the booster will fool the auto into thinking its too bright.

Also, if you need to use gain at any point, read my post here... the Nanoflash footage responds incredibly well to NeatVideo.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-xl-h-series-hdv-camcorders/478384-canon-xl-h1s-nanoflash-neatvideo-awesome.html

Let me know if you have any questions ... I've used the XL H1 since it came out (currently with the 'S' version).

Dear Michael,

It is very nice to hear that you now have a nanoFlash for your XL H1.

I agree with your advice.

I get to setup and practice on Thursday, the launch is on Friday, so I have a chance to see if I have everything right.

Hi Dan:
Congratulations on your decision to use not one, but two (2) Canon XL H1's for capturing the shuttle launch. Do you remember the wonderful on board computer on those babies ? Please set your gamma curve to CINE 1. This will push your blacks and stretch your highlights to more than surprisingly handle the 3 plus stops difference between ignition and non-ignition. Now, you won't be able to actually *see* the difference in your viewfinder (Not so wonderful), but on a good HD-SDI monitor you will see wonderful results ! I mean really wonderful results !

In post you will need to tweak a little primary and possibly some slight secondary color correction, but now in the areas where you get *apparent* burn out, you will now be able to bring back every single detail which may look at first glance to be gone. Folks who don't know about the great secrets of the Canon XL H1's incredible on board exposure and color computer (and how to use it) don't know how the XL H1 can produce footage which looks looks like it was shoot with 2/3rds inch hyper HAD CCD's !

DO NOT go onto the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building. DO USE the 300 MM Canon on one H1 and the stock 20 X Canon lens on the other XL H1. Put both cameras on tripods on the ground and sand bag them both down. On the 20 x stock lens DO USE image stabilization.

Best of success Dan !

P.S. Put the POV camera on the roof of the VAB.

Dear Mark,

Thanks for the advice.

I will check out the vibration of the VAB is on Thursday and check the weather for the winds on Friday.

The view from the top of the VAB is awe inspiring. It used to be the highest point in Florida, and it may still be.

When you mentioned the "Computers on these babies", were you referring to the computers in the Space Shuttle, or in the XL H1? I have always been very impressed with the images of an XL H1, especially when a proper custom preset is used and the signal is recorded via a Flash XDR or nanoFlash.

I worked for NASA, in the 60's, during the Apollo program. I worked as a Flight Control Systems Engineer Tr. (The Tr. stood for trainee.)

Our section, "Flight Control" was responsible for the test and checkout of the Flight Control Computer of the Saturn 1B and Saturn V. Thus I was am very familar with the computer on the Saturn Launch Vehicles, but I only know a little about the computers on the Space Shuttle.

I use Alister Chapman's preset for the XL H1, except that I use Cine 1, just as you suggest.

Dear Mark,

Thanks for the advice.

When you mentioned the "Computers on these babies", were you referring to the computers in the Space Shuttle, or in the XL H1?....I was referring to the computer built into the Canon XL H1.

have always been very impressed with the images of an XL H1, especially when a proper custom preset is used and the signal is recorded via a Flash XDR or nanoFlash.....Yes indeed. Folks hear of the XL H1's HDV recorder and 1/3 rd inch CCD's and walk away, but they often fail to grasp the *very powerful advantage* of the H1's exposure & image computer, which provides so much extra control over the tailoring of the image as to surpass what many shooters are getting out of their EX-1's and 3's. If you couple this with the ability to switch out the glass to some very much higher quality glass (Not to mention the wonderful XL H1 stock wide angle zoom !), then you have a killer camera. If you plug the H1 into a Nano Flash or a Flash XDR, then you surpass the boundaries of a prosumer camera and march proudly across the threshold into broadcast camera heads which cost way more money. If we could get to an uncompressed recording solution out of the uncompressed HD-SDI output of the H1, then the use of this camera for digital cinema origination would be killer !

worked for NASA, in the 60's, during the Apollo program. I worked as a Flight Control Systems Engineer Tr. (The Tr. stood for trainee.)

Our section, "Flight Control" was responsible for the test and checkout of the Flight Control Computer of the Saturn 1B and Saturn V. Thus I was am very familar with the computer on the Saturn Launch Vehicles, but I only know a little about the computers on the Space Shuttle....I remember watching the first man to touch down his feet on the moon live !. I was 5 years old and I was amazed by the crude B&W images on our family's General Electric 19 inch TV set ! You folks who worked on the NASA Apollo Project accomplished real awe inspiring greatness ! I wonder if folks today even bother to consider the stunning implications of being able to put human beings on other planets.

use Alister Chapman's preset for the XL H1, except that I use Cine 1, just as you suggest.....I haven't tried Alister's Preset. Where was that one posted Dan ?

Dear Mark,

I use Alister Chapman's preferred Custom Preset: AC Pref 1.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-xl-h-series-hdv-camcorders/66776-xl-h1-custom-presets-download-library.html

I modify the GAM setup option to suit my needs, either Normal or Cine 1.

Hi Dan,

Will you have 2 camera ops? Or is one locked off ,and one will be operated? If the latter, I'd use the 20X lens on wide (check framing) on the ground with a sand bag as Mark had explained. Then shoot 2nd camera on the VAB either with a 20X's lens or 300mm depending on your framing on the top (I can't visualize what it would look like, so you'd have to bring both, and decide then which one to use). 300mm though can be constricting as you probably won't have much time to move the camera back and forth for your framing, as well as it's a long piece of glass, so make sure you balance it on your tripod the best that you can, as well as if on a fluid head (sachtler,miller) make sure you click the tilt tabs so that your able to tilt 90 degrees.
I'd personally wouldn't use IS, but it also depends on the stability of the tripod your using, as well as weather conditions....
What lens are you using on the Toshiba POV Camera, if it's ultra-wide, see if you could set-up the camera in the media spot for remote stills, or somewhere closer than where the other two cams are set-up. I've seen some still photos that look as if the camera was undernieth the shuttle!
I also agree that your exposure should be manual as well, but isn't the iris on the XLH1 a click wheel? If so, shooting solely with a 300mm lens, watch out from camera shake as you expose for your shot!!! I remember shooting on an XL2 and it was the most painful process of that camera, until I spent the money for the 16X manual lens.....so it all comes down to practicing before the day. Try panning and focusing and exposing on a moving car and see how you go....it's tough, but after some practice it should be manageable....I hope!!
As far as camera settings, I think Mark and other that actually use the cam could guide ya on that one.....
And one last thing....it's a space shuttle launch, you could be anywhere around it and get great shots, so don't sweat the small stuff!!!

Dear Fletcher,

I may have two camera operators.

One may be mounted on a special multi-camera mount, controlled by a camera operator.

I will be taking two Sachtler tripods, with sandbags.

I will be testing everything on Thusday. The exposure is a click wheel, but it is easy to change while shooting. I expect to expose for the vehicle itself and allow the exhaust to be blown out, as I want to see the details of the shuttle.

Thank you for your suggestions.

There should be plenty of people who have shot the shuttle launches who can advise better than I, however, here are my thoughts.


My personal preference for the two-camera rig would be not to use image stabilisation. A perfectly tracked moving object may be made to appear hoppy as the IS tries to compensate for the movement. Providing your long lens view is maintained in the frame, your linked wide-camera follow should be silky smooth and have no need for IS at all.


For ground-to-airs of aircraft, I have been using the wide camera to aquire in flight and then my camera with long lens which is a zoom set wide.

I have been using a 50mm - 500mm Sigma zoom but this has been attached to an aerial image adaptor ( groundglass adaptort with groundglass removed ) which brought the image plane the long lens was projecting onto to a width of about 20mm. This brings the effective magnification towards the ballpark of what you are chasing.

Once I aquire the aircraft, I zoom in. If the aircraft flies out of my frame and is gone by the time I zoom back wide, I look to the wide-view camera and centre the aircraft which usually comes back into the frame.


A big problem for you is going to be the transition from groundlevel to high-overhead. Your tripod centre should be high enough for you to see the groundlevel view with your neck slightly craned because it is likely once you begin to tilt, the viewfinder is going to move both back toward you as well as closer to the ground and you will have to both stoop under and crank your neck to follow,

You could swing the viewfinder eyepiece up as you tilt up but if you ever lose the follow, that will the end of it because you will not be able to re-aquire without dropping the eyepiece level and stooping under.

Ideally the viewfinder should be at the tilt pivot centreline of the tripod head but in reality, unless you have a side pivoting head, the viewfinder.

I tend to use the LCD screens on the cameras as the switch from one to the other is much easier. If I use the eyepience on the long-lens camera I use the LCD on the wide-view camera as my reference to require.

Because of the glare, you will need somebody to umbrella you. Hoodmans can be an awkward option as you cannot always be in the right position to look into them.

With practice and if you take care to tape the eyepiece viewfinder into an exact position to match the centres of your natural stereoscopic vision, it is quite possible to use your left eye as a sighting eye with right eye on viewfinder. The views are different sizes but it works well enough. I find I can do this up to about 100mm focal length.

I assume you will be south of the launch pad which will make the follow of the vehicle initially a tilt upward then will introduce a right pan as it transitions into an easterly direction.

This motion may introduce a complication for you in that with increasingly elevated tilt positions, the pan motion increaslingly introduces a "dutch" motion to the image as you follow. The interaction of your tilt and pan inputs is not balanced but gradually changes.

Think of yourself as being in the centrepoint of a deep narrow upside-down cone.

The harmonisation of my cameras (alignment of centre of frame view of both cameras) is checked and adjusted on a distant object on the day.

Composition-wise, your wide-camera view is going to look un-natural unless you bias the centre to the upper edge of your long camera view so that there is noseroom on the wide-camera view.

To some extent, the smoke plume will compensate and maybe even you might want to choose to put the centre of the wide view low so that the smoke plum occurpies the frame with the aircraft an increasingly small spot at the top.

This is at best, a compromised wide view which rarely looks quite right in composition and framing because with distance and angle of view, you would normally adjust your framing but in this instance, you cannot adjust it whilst following with the long lens.

The upside is that when you are following with the long lens, the linked wide-camera follow on the subject will be the absolute smoothest.

Aquiring and following with a fixed focal length long lens instead of a zoom is a harder task. You cannot adjust the composition of your linked wide camera view because you cannot zoom your long lens wider to compensate for the wide view being off-centre.

The upside is you will not need to crook your arm around the wide-view camera out of its view to get at the zoom on the long lens. My contortions when working this rig have to be seen to be believed. This is why the sports broadcast lenses are power operated.


I assume your second operator is doing a locked off horizon low extreme wide shot where the shuttle will be doing all the work and painting a trail through the frame.


Assuming the craft is flying due east, the most easy follow for you will be from a position directly west of the launch as there should be a tilt component only and if you want to slightly disharmonise the wide and long views for better composition of the wide view, the offset need only be vertical.


For following aircraft which would move left or right across the frame, I got a bit cunning and made a small undersize second stud on the wide-camera base mount and left the tripod screw soft-tight which enabled me to give nose room on the wide shots in horizotonal follows by skewing the camera to its limit left or right.

It never ever worked to my satisfaction and I ended up choosing to compose a wide follow and lose the long lens view for a while as I built confidence in being able to re-aquire when I wanted to for the long view back again.


I would recommend you find yourself a tower or building with a visible elevator in use and practice your follows on the elevator car, particularly losing the shot and re-aquiring it. Position yourself fairly close-in so that you have to tilt high in your follows.

You will then find the most comfortable option of the uncomfortable posture you will have to adopt and build an intuition with your rig that will serve you well on the day.

Once you have given the tower a workout, try an airport or wild birds for practice. This is not quit evlaid practice as the movement is mainly horiztonal. If you can hold on wild birds in the air and practice on the elevator, the shuttle should be no big deal.


I would recommend that you choose an in-camera ND setting which will put the long-lens iris in the ballpark of about f5.6 - f8. If you have this lens iris closed down tight to f16 or tighter, you may see some shadow blemishes on the image from dust motes inside the lens or on your camera sensor especially as the craft becomes smaller against a blue sky.


If you can conveniently do so, I would fit a second tripod handle on the head, facing forward and down and have the rear tripod handle facing upward and slightly out to the right for max clearance of the legs so you don't get caught with a locked tripod. The front handle is convenient for developing a seesaw movement across the head pivot which will make for smoother follows with less overshoot and backoff.


My personal tripod preference is to use old heavy Millers which have no cam spring in them. Take care to position the tripod legs so you don't kick them in your walkaround. If you set the legs narrow so you can walk around but are apprehensive about pulling it over, it might be helpful to deeply drive a stout tentpeg angled into the ground and pull the tripod down firm to the peg with a rope and tension knot or tent rope tensioner tied off under the centre of the head.



http://exposureroom.com/members/DARANGULAFILM/0f993f3acfe84243a3f9cd2678f8ecfe/


SECOND PHOTO OF RIG FOR IMAGING AIRCRAFT. By Bob Hart On ExposureRoom (http://exposureroom.com/members/DARANGULAFILM/7d60e770eb224d6c8705a55bd42cece6/)

http://exposureroom.com/members/DARANGULAFILM/f94b1771ded74f15809cb9faa0ae4a16/


For the clip, a 1084mm MTO is a bit of overkill and a handful to manage even though it is a mirror lens and shorter than a refractive 1000mm. You will observe toward the end of the clip where I lost the aircraft and re-aquired using the wide-view camera.


I tried to upload the image here but it would not take. - invalid file.


I hope this is a help and not a distraction.

Hi Dan,

I have no advice of value to add to the excellent suggestions you've been given so far except to say that you should consider using the 300mm lens plus EF to XL adapter on one of the XL H1 cameras, just because it will give you a telescopic field of view of equal to a 2100mm lens. As long as it's tripod mounted (what other way is there?), then the lack of IS should not be an issue. But it will require the full concentration of the operator to track the very rapid ascent of the shuttle. I think this lens combination should be able to easily resolve SRB separation.

To me, the big advantage of shooting from the VAB is that the point of view of looking down at the launch pad is uncommon relative to the other viewing sites.

I will be there as well, not to photograph so much as to simply experience the launch of STS-132. My wife and I will be watching from NASA's Banana River site adjacent to the Saturn V museum. If your schedule allows, perhaps we could meet after the launch at the visitor's center... we're staying on the Cape afterwards until the traffic dies down. Maybe I should follow up w/ you via email.

Dear Bob,

I appreciate all of the excellent advice.

I will not be operating the Multiple Camera Rig so I do not have to worry about tracking on this rig.

I will be almost due West of the launch pad.

The only reason I would use IS (while on a tripod), is if the roof is shaking.

When I worked for NASA, in the 1960's, my office was on the third floor of the VAB. When the large crane was rolling, my chair would vibrate about 1/4" up and down. Thus, I can see how the roof may shake.

Dear Chris,

Yes, I would love to meet you and your wife while you are at the cape.

I may be in a great position to test the 300 mm lens (~2100 mm when installed on the XL H1).

My 300 mm L-Series is a Canon FD lens, so I have to use a FD to EOS adapter then use the XL H1 EOS adapter. The FD to EOS adapter is the weak link as it is not the very hard to find original Canon item.

I feel that the loss in quality, due to the adapter, will rule out the use of the 300 mm lens.

I agree, shots from the VAB are very dramatic.

Dear Dan,
Good luck with that setup. It sounds like it would be a great shoot.
BTW, for the 300 mm lens I do not think that you would get ~2100mm ( I could be very well wrong). I think that the magnification is just about 5.4 to 5.5 X the lens, so I would think that you would get ~1600+mm for sure. Still very good though... Also be sure that you have a White Balance card with you, not just the camera WB. With the SLR Canon lens you would really need a HD WB card.
Please post some pictures and good luck
Cheers
L

Dear Luben,

Thanks, I will take a set of White Balance cards.

I think that the magnification is just about 5.4 to 5.5 X the lens, so I would think that you would get ~1600+mm Sorry but this is incorrect. When shooting through 35mm still photo lenses with the Canon EF to XL adapter on the Canon XL H series camcorders, the crop factor is 7.2 times in HD or DV widescreen 16:9 mode, and 8.8 times in DV standard 4:3 mode. Assuming that Dan chooses to shoot in HD, the field of view through his 300mm lens would be equal to a 2100mm+ lens (in still photo 35mm terms). Hope this helps,

Thanks Chris,
To be fair to you and me, I should say that it would be much better (fair again and respectful) if you did not missed the part in brackets from my post in fairness to my honesty, but, I thank you for your post and your honesty. Cheers

Dan.


Attention deficit crept into my earlier response. I forgot you were going to be on top of the building.

I agree, a high vantage point will create a much more pleasing motion shot shortly after liftoff as the background reference for motion will remain in frame longer, maybe even enough to show the rate of accelleration.

I would still be a bit iffy about using image stabilisation. It would depend on the building vibration. I.S. could help but might aggravate once you throw in the tilt motion as well. If it is a clean slow bounce of about a half-second period, the I.S. may keep up. If there are other vibrations with shorter periods in the mix, the IS might get confused and amplify some combinations.

In-camera I.S. is optimised for the most common lens the camera will wear. I think that with a long lens, you will introduce a "hopping" artifact as the I.S, offset reaches its limit with the tilt, then moves to "catch up" and then dwell again through to its travel limit to hold the subject, then hop forward again. Image stabilisation is intended to help you handhold on a fixed or minimally moving subject without shaking. I really would not use it.

Try to find a corner of the building to set your tripod up on rather than in centre of the edge. That way you can have two legs closer to an edge on parts of the floor that are not bouncing as much and the third leg will be on a steady point in the corner or as steady as it gets.

It becomes a bit awkward for follows if you do this because you confine your walkspace and you may go over the rail if you are not careful if you are forced to try a horizontal follow.

Being above the longer corner-to-corner line of the structure also means that the angular deflection should be less.

Hey Dan:
Do you remember the guy who was shooting the utterly A M A Z I N G extreme Northern wildlife programs with the XL H1 in 90 mile per hour 60 below zero Farenheight Arctic conditions while recording HDV tape in camera using extremely long telephoto lenses on special - custom made metal camera and lens cradles ? This guy was shooting extremely fast moving and elusive subjects at incredible focal lengths ! I think this man would be worth contacting on this subject. I consider his wildlife footage to be at national Geographic level ! I mean this guy made this type of difficult videography look easy ! I'm sorry, but his name escapes me at the moment of writing this post, but I'm sure a search of the older Canon XL H1 threads will yield his name and links to his wildlife shot with both the stock 20X and Canon and Nikon 35 mm telephoto lenses on those custom lens cradles mounts. I hope this helps.

Dear Bob,

Thank you for your input.

The VAB is, internally, a building made of 6 separate towers, each approximately 520 feet tall.

The roof covers all 6 towers, and is about the size of a large city block.

It is very interesting to speculate which part of the building would have the least vibration.

The corners may have extra vibration due to the buffeting of the winds, (This is pure speculation).

(I do not remember any vibrations, but the last time I was up there was 43 years ago!)

My first place to test on Thursday will be near the elevator shaft. I will also test near the corners thanks to your suggestion.

I can be very portable, except for my 24" monitor, which needs 110 volt power. It will also run off 24 V DC, but I am not setup to power this monitor on batteries. I expect the few power outlets to be near the elevator shaft.

As you can probably tell, I am very excited about visiting the cape again after all of these years.

It was very exciting to be part of the Apollo program. I feel that most people who look back on it today are amazed as what was actually accomplished.

I was extremely lucky to be part of the project, and to be in a very small group that touched so many areas.

I was in Launch Vehicle Operations, Guidance and Control, Flight Control Systems Section. I worked with far more senior engineers.

In Flight Control we prepared, checked out, and tested the Flight Control Computer.
This controlled the gimbling (swiveling) of the engines, the shutoff of the engines of each stage, the ignition of the engines on the next stage and many other functions. Thus I got to be involved in most of the launch vehicle, but had no access to the Command or Service Modules.

One the main tasks of the Flight Control Computer was to perform the calculations to achieve the proper trajectory. Our computer took inputs from another computer, which was programmed to know where the vehicle should be. Our computer took these inputs, and inputs from an inertial navigation platform, then calculated what it would take to perform the mission, with knowledge of the vehicle, current conditions, etc.

To get to the moon, we had to be at a specific point in space, pointed in a specific direction, at a specific time, and going a specific speed. All of this was calculated on-board, not relying on instructions from the ground. All of this was accomplished without microprocessors, which were not invented yet.

Dear Mark,

I am assuming you are referring to Per Johan Naesje.

If the elevator shaft is a free standing stiff structure like a concrete column within the tower, I would be inclined to use structure attached to that.

However, if the lift tower is inside and a part of a metal lattice support column, I would choose the top of the column furthurest from it in case somebody decides to come upstairs during your shoot and shake your camera.

I think I would chance a bit of flutter from passing wind on a corner than risk vibration from the overpressures coming your way from the launch hammering at the flat surfaces facing the vehicle.

If there is any significant movement of the corner support structure, I think it will more likely be in a panning movement than a tilting movement.

At the end of all this, please don't keep your footage hidden away but let us see it.

Dear Bob,

I certainly hope to be able to share the footage.

It certainly does add to the pressure to get this right on the first attempt.

Dear Mark,

I am assuming you are referring to Per Johan Naesje....Hi dan: Yup. This is the man to whom i was referring. Johan seems to really be a master at this sort of shooting.

Hi Dan,
Just guessing (and you probably know more about it than I) that the thrust - and hence the acceleration - will be fairly consistant through most of your shot. This of course means that the speed of your tilt will continue to increase as long as you need to keep the rocket in your sights.

Something that we've done in the past to prepare for telephoto CU photography of stunt falls (though obviously in the opposite direction from what you would need) has been to drop traffic cones off the roof of a relatively tall building (7 - 10 stories) to get a feel for the effect of continued acceleration. Being used to the acceleration helps get the shot right on the first take.
Best of luck with it!

It will go up and then appear to go over in a curve as it arcs out
easterly over the Atlantic... see attached pic (NASA public image).

Dear Friends,

I received a very nice call this morning from a person that I never met before, but one who is a great member of the DVInfo.net community.

He was reading our posts in this thread an offered to help.

He is loaning me a Sony EX3, with the 2/3" lens adapter and a professional 2/3" Canon lens for the shoot on Friday. He is actually loaning us a complete setup, including tripod and nanoFlash!

I was stunned. I have been busy all day making the arrangements, but it is now all worked out.

All of this generosity and members helping members is a tribute to Chris Hurd and DVInfo.net.

Hey Dan:
I think this thread proves that most of us who participate in this forum really do care about the products, the technology, and are naturally dedicated to wanting to help their fellow videographers move forward. This final Space Shuttle Launch, and the whole space program is historic. The United States is broke, uh, reeeeeeealy broke ! and I fear NASA's manned space program's future is pretty uncertain. (What's it cost to shoot off a shuttle these days ?) - It must be serious cash. I hope you get a perfect shuttle launch sequence. I'm confident you will Dan ! :-)

According to NASA (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/information/shuttle_faq.html#10), each shuttle launch costs appx $450 million. This is the final scheduled flight of Atlantis, although upon the completion of this mission it will be processed as if it would go up again, because it will be held ready in a status called "Launch On Need," as a contingency (i.e., rescue mission) should anything go wrong on the remaining two scheduled shuttle flights -- those being STS-133, the final flight of Discovery in September, and STS-134, the final flight of Endeavour in November, which will conclude the 30-year-old space shuttle program.

Dan -- I sure am glad this is working out for you -- see you soon on the Cape,

...Hi Chris: I'm glad that at least they won't scrap the shuttles. If something goes very wrong with the International space station, then they'll need something to get back up there fast. Next stop Mars (I hope). Something completely different for a deep space trip and return will be required. They' will leap frog it over to Mars. (Send a remote control ground module -Read House - to Mars first). Next, they'll send an emergency vehicle half way out to Mars. One ship docks to the next and leaps over to the red planet. Sorry, I digress off topic.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for your shoot, Dan (and for the NASA space program - now, and in the future:)).

Piotr

...Hi Chris: I'm glad that at least they won't scrap the shuttles. If something goes very wrong with the International space station, then they'll need something to get back up there fast. If something goes very wrong with the International Space Station, there are always two Soyuz "lifeboats" which can be used for immediate evacuation and safe return of the entire 6-person crew back to the ground. These vehicles are switched out regularly with the arrival and departure of new crew members.

With the conclusion of the space shuttle program (barring any last-minute extensions -- one option is to have Atlantis fly one more ISS servicing mission next year), the retirement of the space shuttle fleet means that the only way for crew members to get to the ISS is via the (barely) 3-person Soyuz spacecraft. The forthcoming end of the shuttle flights means there will be no capability for bringing things from ISS back down to Earth (the Soyuz crew module is much too small for carrying anything other than three people wedged inside).

My apologies for hijacking Dan's thread and continuing off topic.

The forthcoming end of the shuttle flights means there will be no capability for bringing things from ISS back down to Earth (the Soyuz crew module is much too small for carrying anything other than three people wedged inside).....Nasa will still need to take up and bring down equipment at some point. I suppose once you have everything you need at the space station, then the tests results just get transmitted up and down remotely.
My apologies for hijacking Dan's thread and continuing off topic....Mine too Dan.

Just briefly: currently there are three vehicles, all unmanned, that provide one-way cargo lift capability for delivering supplies on orbit to ISS. They are the Russian Progress, the European ATV and the Japanese HTV spacecraft. What will be missing after the conclusion of the NASA space shuttle program is cargo return capability for bringing things back to Earth from ISS. Soyuz can return people but not cargo.

Just briefly: currently there are three vehicles, all unmanned, that provide one-way cargo lift capability for delivering supplies on orbit to ISS. They are the Russian Progress, the European ATV and the Japanese HTV spacecraft. What will be missing after the conclusion of the NASA space shuttle program is cargo return capability for bringing things back to Earth from ISS. Soyuz can return people but not cargo.....Hey Chris: What about garbage collection and disposal ? If no cargo can go down, then how do they deal with waste articles ?

Dear Friends,

We returned last night from a very successful trip to the Kennedy Space Center.

On Thrusday, we met with our contacts at United Space Alliance, prepared the equipment for the launch of Atlantis on Friday, then went to the LCC (Launch Control Complex) to select two of NASA's ground based cameras to record with the nanoFlash.

Our NASA contact and our United Space Alliance contacts appeared very impressed with the quality of the nanoFlash. We shot I-Frame Only at 220 Mbps on all nanoFlashes. During setup and test we were switching between a live image of the shuttle and an image recorded a minute earlier. They could not detect any defects in the recorded image, nor guess which was live or recorded.

We choose two great camera's to use, then setup a nanoFlash on each feed. One nanoFlash was located inside the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) and one in the LCC.

On Friday, we met our contacts and proceeded to setup three cameras on the roof of the VAB.

We used:

1. A Sony EX3, with a Canon J22 Lens, and a polarizer, on a Sachtler tripod. This complete setup was loaned to us by a very generous DVInfo.net member.

2. A Canon XL H1, with the 20x lens, Image Stabilization On, with a nanoFlash. The camera was on manual focus and I did not zoom during the launch. If I remember correctly I was close to full zoom, with 1/32 ND filter activated. I was on 6.5 F-Stop (and it was slightly hot at this setting).

3. A very nice Toshiba HD POV camrea with a Nikon xx to 300 mm zoom lens, with a C-Mount adapter. We setup this camera for automatic white balance and auto exposure as we had our hands full.

The XL H1 and Toshiba were mounted on an aluminum bar, then attached to a very stable Sachtler tripod.

Just before the launch we aligned both cameras.

We used a very nice Panasonic portable monitor to setup both cameras. We used a thick black cloth over the monitor and our heads, in order to view the monitor in the extremely bright sunlight. The roof of the VAB is bright white (with a touch of gray)

We were delayed getting to the roof of the VAB; we arrived on the roof about 1 hour before launch.

We had quite a bit of wind, so we choose a site with a little wind protection. I checked if the stabilization helped or not, and it did, so I used it for the launch, contrary to normal procedure when one is on a tripod.

But, we were on a building 525 feet high, with about 8 acres of roof, that moves in the wind.

We were fully setup, with camera's aligned, etc. just before launch. We started rolling about two minutes before ignition.

During the launch our host from United Space Alliance operated the EX3/nanoFlash. I tracked the vehicle using the viewfinder of the XL H1.

The Nikon 300mm Zoom lens on the Toshiba camera was setup initially set to about 135mm. We wanted a slighly wider view in case I lost the vehicle while tracking it with the tighter zoomed XL H1.

Rick Kelly, of nanoFlash.net, was monitoring tracking on the Panasonic Monitor while I tracked the vehicle with the XL H1. During the flight Rick zoomed in (Toshiba POV/Nikon Lens).

The vibration of the VAB that we felt during the launch was quite severe. I was worried that I was going to lose tracking.

I was warned, in advance, that we would almost have to shoot vertical during the launch.
I was prepared, but I was surprised that after going almost vertical, I had to come back down to track the vehicle.

We brought 5 nanoFlashes with us for this shoot.

After selecting the desired NASA cameras to record, we had a little drama. The cameras were re-orientied just before the launch, to the consternation of the person operating the nanoFlashes.

We wound up with two great shots, just not the ones we expected.

We wound up with a very nice close-up tracking shot of the shuttle on one nanoFlash.

On the other we had an outstanding view, from the tower, looking straight down at the shuttle.

When we played back the images, we saw the vehicle, then the water spray, then ignition of the main engines, the ignition of the solid rocket boosters, then the sway (tilt) of the vehicle, then liftoff,

The vehcile flew past the camera, then the SRB exhaust plume blacked out the view. When the smoke cleared, we had a birds-eye view of the pad.

We will post the images, on this site, as soon as possible.

Chris Hurd and his wife Kelly were also at the cape. He captured some wonderful still images with his camera, all of the way up to and including SRB separation.

We ended a very memorial day by having dinner with Chris and Kelly.

Hi Dan:
I'm sure the XL H1 footage looks stunning. I look forward to seeing you post a sequence on Vimeo or YouTube soon. Glad to know all went well for the shoot. :-)

Dear Mark,

I look forward to posting the video.

I do not have it at this moment, as soon as I get it, cut it, and get it uploaded, I will post it.

It was a huge relief for me that I was able to track the vehicle. The vibration from the launch, since we were only 3.3 miles away was quite extreme.

I have not checked the footage in detail, I am assuming that there are some problems, but overall I was very relieved.

We shot all of the video, in Quicktime, I-Frame Only, at 220 Mbps.

Dear Mark,

I look forward to posting the video.

We shot all of the video, in Quicktime, I-Frame Only, at 220 Mbps.....Hi Dan: Wow ! it must look reeeeeeaaalyyyy clean @ this data rate ! I frame Nano/XDR codec type of QT can now be edited in Avid Media Composer as well as FCP (Finally for Avid !) Now if we could get dear Avid to turn on AMA for the general Sony XDCAM HD 4:2:2 codec recorded on anything instead of only if it's sitting on the XDCAM Discs, then there is finally no clip based post workflow limitations for the Nano/XDR to anything ! I would think by now there is no television network in North America which would not be able to accept Nano/XDR footage for just about anything. Dan, what's the word on official support from all the big 5 US networks to date ? By big 5 I mean NBC, CBS, ABC, Discovery, and HBO.

Dear Mark,

I know that National Geographic, NBC, CBS, BBC, Sky HD, and Discovery have used our footage.

NBC uses it on a regular basis. The nanoFlash is used for Trauma on NBC-Universal, at least for Steadicam shots, maybe more. Southland used the Flash XDR for in-car shots.

CBS College Sports uses it for some things, but I do not know how much it has been used for acquisition. I understand that 60 Minutes segments have used the nanoFlash.

BBC is actively using our footage. BBC has specifically approved the nanoFlash. In fact, for underwater footage, with a specific Gates housing, and an EX1/EX3, it is approved for 100% of the content. I do not know the exact approval for other types of shooting. Major upcoming productions will be using the nanoFlash.

National Geographic has approved the use of our footage and have used it successfully.

Discovery Canada has used our footage.

I have no specific knowledge about Discovery channel (as opposed to Discovery Canada).

All of the above represent my best knowledge at this moment. I am not in a position to provide an exhaustive list.

Hi Dan:
Yeah, I know Discovery Canada bought a load of Flash XDR's for Cash Cab and some of their other productions. I don't know if they have any Nano Flashes yet. I think TV shows like 60 Minutes & National Geographic are as high profile as they come. I would think those shows would make it pretty hard for others to turn away Nano or XDR footage if it's good enough for these programs.

Hi Dan, it was terrific to see you and Rick after such an awesome launch. I'll follow up with you once we return to Texas tomorrow night. Thanks for meeting us in Titusville!

Dear Dan,
Congratulations on the successful launch/video recording!! Looking forward to that material as a pictures/video.
On other note, National Film Board of Canada has used NF on our trip to India!
Cheers
Luben

Dan,
Congrats on a successful launch!


We had quite a bit of wind, so we choose a site with a little wind protection. I checked if the stabilization helped or not, and it did, so I used it for the launch, contrary to normal procedure when one is on a tripod.


I always have stabilization ON when outdoors, even on a tripod. People theorize that you wouldn't be able to track properly with it on, but until you use it as you did in a real life situation, stabilization on helps a whole lot more than it hurts.