Following up on the initial release, NASA has added more samples and more hi-res data to its research-grade Astromaterials 3D platform. The site doesn't seem to have a New/News link, so here's part of the informal release statement:
[We are] excited to announce the public release of several exciting new features on Astromaterials 3D!
- 20 new samples from NASA's Apollo Lunar and Antarctic Meteorite Collections
- NASA Pins—a curated selection of surface and XCT features with brief descriptions written by NASA's Curation scientists, visible in the Pins section of the Explorer
- The much-anticipated public release of the actual high-resolution 3D model files, now available for download from every rock's Details page
Launched to the public in December 2020, Astromaterials 3D is an information-rich visualization tool for researchers and the general public. Combining high-resolution photography, structure-from-motion photogrammetry and X-ray computed tomography, the project succeeds at producing research-grade interactive 3D models of the exterior and interior of samples in a single coordinate system. At its core, Astromaterials 3D intends to provide greater access to NASA's astromaterials collections and the incredible stories these rocks from space reveal through the study of them.
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NASA just opened "Astromaterials 3D" to let anyone see and study lunar rock samples and Antarctic meteorites. From a release:
Nearly 8 years in the making, Astromaterials 3D is an information-rich visualization tool for researchers and the general public. Combining high-resolution photography, structure-from-motion photogrammetry and X-ray computed tomography, the project succeeds at producing research-grade interactive 3D models of the exterior and interior of samples in a single coordinate system.
Rocks from Other Worlds Now Virtually Available:
NASA's astromaterials sample collections, which include a library of Apollo lunar and Antarctic meteorite samples, are now offered online through a new virtual exploration tool for scientific researchers and the public. The Astromaterials 3D Explorer site offers an unprecedented research tool to engage the public in a new way to explore the significance of NASA's space rock collections.
[...] "Most of the samples are preserved for scientific research. There are some subsamples available for educators or in exhibitions and installations around the world, but most of the collection is in a vaulted cleanroom facility for their preservation and protection," said Erika Blumenfeld, transdisciplinary artist and principal investigator and project lead for 3D Astromaterials science, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
[...] Viewers navigating through the samples on the site can follow each rock's history, learning what happened to the rock — and follow it to its ultimate destination, like Antarctica in the case of the meteorites.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 02 2022, @01:33AM (1 child)
What is "3D" library?
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday April 02 2022, @02:30AM
Isn't that a library with a mobile ladder to help you reach the upper shelves? You see them in movies of rich men with personal libraries most often.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 02 2022, @02:10AM
I want one that looks like a voodoo doll.