|
Author
|
Topic: Apollo 11 photo 'unwrapped' for Aldrin's view
|
Headshot
Member Posts: 1023
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012
|
posted 07-23-2021 11:32 PM
   
Someone did a little computer magic to give us an idea of what Buzz Aldrin was seeing when Neil Armstrong snapped an Apollo 11 iconic image. Michael Ranger, known as rg1213 on Reddit, used this famous image of Buzz Aldrin on the Moon from the Apollo 11 mission as captured by Neil Armstrong, to essentially "see" what Armstrong saw.Since Buzz Aldrin's visor is basically a mirror ball, Ranger was able to "unwrap it" to a 2D image and then open the photo in Google Street View to "see" what Aldrin saw as Armstrong captured the iconic photo.  |
davidcwagner
Member Posts: 892
From: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Registered: Jan 2003
|
posted 07-24-2021 02:47 PM
Great job! Amazing!Is Earth the white spot above the Flag & TV camera? I always thought that the earth would be higher above the horizon than this. Any other ideas about the white spot? |
One Big Monkey
Member Posts: 178
From: West Yorkshire, UK
Registered: Jul 2012
|
posted 07-24-2021 03:08 PM
He's not the first to try this, Apollo and LRO image analyst 'GoneToPlaid' has a few versions on his page here.I think his version of the visor shot shows the Earth slightly higher up, and he shows that it's in the right place. |
Headshot
Member Posts: 1023
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012
|
posted 07-24-2021 08:18 PM
I wonder just how much the Apollo bubble helmet distorted the view of the wearer. the helmet is curved, so when you are looking through it from the inside out, it MUST distort the view somewhat. Maybe the astronauts got used to the distortion through extensive training and did not even think about it anymore.Has any cSer ever worn a real Apollo helmet? What do you remember about the view? |
oly
Member Posts: 1245
From: Perth, Western Australia
Registered: Apr 2015
|
posted 07-24-2021 08:48 PM
While I have not worn an Apollo bubble helmet or LEVA, I have worn flight helmets with double visors and flown aircraft with bubble canopies. I do not recall any distortion from curved helmet visors because they are produced to be distortion free within the field of view.Similarly, the military aircraft bubble canopies are manufactured to be distortion free for the most part. I have flown general aviation aircraft and experimental types that have distortion and found them, for the most part, something you can work around, however, some have been distracting and one required replacing because anyone who flew the aircraft complained of headaches afterwards caused by dealing with the distorted visual signal. Aircraft canopies can sometimes become scratched, which can become distracting when the sun hits the scratch at certain angles (sometimes horizontal scratches can resemble powerlines during low level flight). Some manufacturers allow scratches to be blended and polished out, as long as the material thickness is not compromised. This repair can be successful if done correctly but done incorrectly can induce localised distortions.
|
DG27
Member Posts: 199
From: USA
Registered: Nov 2010
|
posted 07-24-2021 10:35 PM
I just tried a viewing experiment with an Apollo helmet. Using a bookcase wall unit as a reference grid of vertical and horizontal lines I was not able to discern any noticeable distortion in the front of the dome. This including rotating the helmet about my head in all directions to look through all viewable areas. Also moved the helmet closer and further away from the eyes as much as possible, but was limited in fore-aft movement due to the vent pad. The only discernible distortion is from the vertical running mold parting line on the sides of the dome, but that is well out of the normal viewing area and is a very narrow line. As OLY said helmets and visors are designed to be distortion free. This exercise did not use a LEVA over visor assembly but I suspect that would be distortion free as well. |
Headshot
Member Posts: 1023
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012
|
posted 07-25-2021 02:22 PM
I am gratified at these "results." The helmet manufacture(s) must have taken great care to make certain the inner and outer helmet surfaces are parallel to each other and the helmet material was of constant thickness. That way no lensing effects were created.Nice to know that our Apollo astronauts were not bothered by visual distortions. |
Captain Apollo
Member Posts: 275
From: UK
Registered: Jun 2004
|
posted 08-07-2021 09:05 AM
Ranger's effort is different from previous attempts because with a 360 degree viewer you can look around as if you were Buzz. See this video as an example. |
Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3359
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
|
posted 08-07-2021 09:26 AM
That video is just annoying — a prime example of yet another person apparently shooting video on a phone in portrait mode rather than the panoramic mode which human beings actually experience through our eyes. |
garymilgrom
Member Posts: 2055
From: Atlanta, GA
Registered: Feb 2007
|
posted 08-07-2021 11:05 AM
"To essentially see what Armstrong saw." I need help understanding this. From Armstrong’s perspective did the LM have only two legs? No ascent stage except for some vertical structure? And a giant moth/fly on his visor? How is this considered an accurate representation? Thank you. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 46833
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted 08-07-2021 11:25 AM
The author had it backwards: the view is Aldrin's, not Armstrong's. The original photo was Armstrong's view. |
Buel
Member Posts: 783
From: UK
Registered: Mar 2012
|
posted 08-07-2021 05:00 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Blackarrow:
...panoramic mode which human beings actually experience through our eyes.
I’d never really thought about this before, Geoffrey. Excellent point!! |
garymilgrom
Member Posts: 2055
From: Atlanta, GA
Registered: Feb 2007
|
posted 08-07-2021 05:14 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
...the view is Aldrin's, not Armstrong's.
I still have the same questions. Thanks. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 46833
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
|
posted 08-07-2021 05:34 PM
"View" is probably the wrong word (too). By "unwrapping" the reflection on Aldrin's visor, we're able to see the scene from his perspective. Not as crystal clear as if we were inside Aldrin's suit ourselves, but what he saw in front of him: the lunar module, Armstrong, the flag, the solar wind experiment that he deployed earlier and Earth in the sky. It is still distorted to some degree, but there is only so much information you can pull out of the original photo. It might be interesting if a digital artist used this as a starting point and recreated the scene entirely in CGI, such that you trade spaces with either moonwalker and see the scene in high definition. (Keep in mind, when you look at the original photo, Aldrin may not be looking at Armstrong. His left arm is up, perhaps indicating he is glancing at his gauntlet checklist. Also, if you look at the position of Aldrin's feet, he may be in motion. He is out of frame in the 16mm footage but his shadow is moving at the time Armstrong is seen taking the shot.) |
Captain Apollo
Member Posts: 275
From: UK
Registered: Jun 2004
|
posted 08-13-2021 10:41 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Blackarrow:
That video is just annoying...
It's merely an attempt to show you what it looks like through a 360 degree viewer, e.g. a headset. It's not the end product so to speak. |
advertisement