Opening sequence from a two year in production NASA funded educational project for Buhl Planetarium at Carnegie Science Center. "Blueprints to Blastoff" addresses the potential advancements during the next 100+ years of space exploration starting with the planned return to the Moon. The program is presented immersively using the new 8K Digistar7 fulldome video system in the planetarium's 50 foot dome with 10 - 4K video projectors fed by 10 syncronized computers, filling the dome with high definition video.

Beginning with blueprint diagrams of the Space Launch System [SLS], viewers get an inside look at the engineering behind the most powerful rocket in history, then are treated to a dramatic night time launch, the rocket lighting up the sky, as the journey begins that will continue to the International Space Station [ISS], then on to the Moon, and then further into the future as humans reach for Mars and then beyond.

The CGI scene was built based on aerial terrain imagery of PAD39B at the Kennedy Space Center. The view of the launch was designed to take full advantage of the immersive quality available with the fulldome projection system, creating a dramatic feel that would not be possible except by using remote cameras during an actual launch. You seem to be standing right on the pad in some views. The capabilities of various software applications were used together to provide the needed elements in the scene.

The video here is showing a wide front view of the 360 degree immersive experience. The "Blueprints to Blastoff" program will be distributed by the Buhl Planetarium to planetariums requesting the program as part of the NASA grant's specifications.