Visualization Analysis Lab Helps Prepare NASA for Shuttle Flight

An advanced visual film analysis system to help detect and repair structural problems on the space shuttle has been developed for the Kennedy Space Center in Florida by NASA, the United Space Alliance of Houston and Silicon Graphics Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. SGI Professional Services has provided its Reality Center facility and TP9500 data management subsystem, which will allow NASA to perform video analysis in the hours prior to a shuttle launch and to provide more detailed film analysis on the following day. With the system, NASA's ice/debris team can analyze full-frame, real-time, standard- and high-definition video at 1280 X 720 pixels and 16- and 35-mm film data at 4096 X 3112 pixels. The system is designed to process 150,000 frames of film and 300,000 frames of video within two weeks of a launch. It is currently being used to review and analyze previous shuttle flight data.