Details
Object Name: RobertMarra_BobbyBrune_InteractiveTimelineOfTheISS_V1.0
Title: An Interactive Timeline of the International Space Station
Creator: Robert Marra (Bobby Brune)
Date: March 6, 2009
Summary
The International Space Station, which has been under construction for over 10 years, is due to be completed next year. A few months ago, USA Today detailed the progress of the construction with a timeline of the addition of new modules to the station.
News Sources
- International Space Station 10 Years in the Making
- International Space Station to be 2nd Brightest Object in the Night Sky
Video
Interaction
Interaction with the project is centered around a platform which represents a station in Mission Control. The user can sit in the chair provided for an ideal view and use a variety of controls on a computer console. The controls allow the user to advance forward and backward in time to witness the construction of the International Space Station. There are green Move Back, Move Forward, and Move to End buttons, and a red Reset button, which fade the modules in and out as time progresses. The console also includes a yellow button that revolves the entire console around the station, providing a 360ยบ view of the project. On the console are two computer monitors, which provide the name, country of origin, and a photograph of each section as it is added. Above the console is a Mission Control countdown-style clock, which indicates the date at which the current piece was added.
Motivation
The International Space Station is arguably humanity's greatest feat of engineering. A joint project of American, Russian, European, and Japanese space agencies, it has been under construction in orbit for over 10 years. During its lifetime, it has been home to astronauts from multiple countries who have worked together for the advancement of science. Next year, construction will finally be complete.
The diverse background, long timeline, and complicated makeup of the station are excellent characteristics to be modeled using an array. In the case of this project, each Module is an object in the array, and each Module has several properties. SecondLife's virtual world is perfect for demonstrating properties such as size, appearance, and location. The scripting abilities in SecondLife allow for creative ways to show the more textual properties such as time, name, and origin.
Description
The largest feature of the project is a 1/4 scale model of the International Space Station. The station is built in sections, which can be added one at a time in order of their addition to the actual space station. Each section was built to model its real-life equivalent, and includes textures which are actual photographs of the real station exterior. The project as a whole demonstrates a data structure known as an Array. An array is a collection of objects, referenced by index. In this array, the objects are modules of the space station, and the indices are the times at which they were added. Each module object has several properties: location (x, y, z), shape, name, and country of origin. The physical properties of each module are demonstrated using the station model. The time added is also shown using this model, as each piece starts of invisible and fades in as it is added
The other main feature is a platform that features a Mission Control computer console. This console shows the numerical and textual properties of the modules. A digital clock shows the date each time a new piece is added, and two computer monitors show the name and origin of the piece.
