NASA Debuts Unique Movie on a Sphere About Frozen Earth

March 18, 2009

Stephen Cole
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0918
stephen.e.cole@xxxxxxxx

Sarah DeWitt
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-0535
sarah.dewitt@xxxxxxxx

RELEASE: 09-063

NASA DEBUTS UNIQUE MOVIE ON A SPHERE ABOUT FROZEN EARTH

WASHINGTON -- NASA has created a unique "spherical" movie about
Earth's changing ice and snow cover as captured by NASA spacecraft.
"Frozen," a 12-minute, narrated film, premieres at science centers
and museums March 27.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., produced the
film for the "Science on a Sphere" projection system, a fully
spherical video technology developed by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration. The six-foot spheres are installed in
more than 30 locations around the world.

Ice covers about 20 percent of the Earth's surface and plays a major
role in the world's climate. NASA operates a sophisticated fleet of
spacecraft that make global measurements of ice and snow in remote
and treacherous locations not easily accessible to scientists on the
ground. Data from these NASA satellites play a critical role in
climate change research.

"Frozen" probes all parts of Earth where water exists in solid form
as
snow or ice, known as the cryosphere. The movie takes viewers from
the everyday experience of sensing heat and cold to a discussion of
how satellites "see" heat and cold with advanced sensors. It then
projects dramatic displays of satellite data of Earth, including
changing Arctic sea ice and global snow cover, onto the sphere.
Images generated by NASA's Aqua satellite and the Landsat series are
featured in "Frozen."

"With 'Frozen,' we're not only breaking new ground in terms of
spherical filmmaking but also transforming an otherwise technical
subject into a powerful and poetic drama about the state of Earth,"
said Goddard's Michael Starobin, one of the film's producers.

Science on a Sphere uses a six-foot diameter carbon fiber sphere that
hangs in a dark theater surrounded by four projectors. A computer
system drives video content for the projectors to create a seamless
image around the sphere.

"Science on a Sphere is a powerful and exciting new medium for
telling
all sorts of stories," said Starobin, who also produced and directed
"Footprints," NASA's first movie for the system in 2006. "Footprints"
explored the origin of hurricanes, the origin of gamma ray bursts and
the human imperative to ask hard questions. NASA installed its first
sphere at Goddard in 2006.

NOAA originally conceived Science on a Sphere to help illustrate
Earth
science principles by showing planet-wide data. Museums and
universities have created hundreds of data visualizations for the
platform since it first debuted in NOAA facilities, providing
educational opportunities for millions of visitors. However, very few
fully produced, narrated movies have been developed for the system.

"Frozen" marks the next step in the evolution of spherical
filmmaking," Starobin said. "It moves the technology of the craft to
new levels and, more importantly, tackles a single subject and uses
the unique shape of the screen to discuss that subject in new ways.
For example, where a flat screen only provides a sense of the remote,
obscure scale of polar regions, a spherical presentation shows just
how vast these places are. It highlights global processes in an
orientation that matches reality."

For more information about "Frozen," including a list of locations
showing the film, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/frozen

For information about the first NASA Science on a Sphere movie,
"Footprints," visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor/exhibits/footprints.html

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

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