The Shuttle Backflip Photosynth

Posted By: Larry Larsen | Aug 21st, 2007 @ 12:06 PM

You may have noticed a few new Photosynth collections going up recently. The latest one was the Shuttle on the way to the launch pad, which was not only one of the most interesting collections yet, but also logistically impressive (apparently the Feds tend not to let choppers fly near billion dollar spacecraft as a rule.)

But here's a Photosynth you might have missed. During the docking process, STS-118 did a backflip so the underside could be extensively photographed by astronauts in the International Space Station. That's when they found the 3" chunk of important tile missing. A Photosynth of this maneuver was constructed and you can check it out here. The imagery is good enough you can almost read the writing on each tile in some pictures.