Maryland Science Center: Newsroom: Press Releases: 'Footprints' Debuts at Maryland Science Center

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"Footprints" Debuts at Maryland Science Center
A 16-minute film is first created for Science on Sphere technology

The Maryland Science Center will host the world-premier of "Footprints," the first fully produced motion picture created for the innovative Science on a Sphere technology, on Thursday, December 7, 2006 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Footprints was named in the November 13, 2006 issue of Time Magazine as one of the "Best Inventions for 2006."

Footprints is shown on a six foot globe that appears to float in the middle of the room, allowing viewers to experience, for the first time, planets in a format that more accurately reflects their actual appearance. In the film, the Earth stars in a variety of guises, from depictions of the biosphere to planetary views of city lights at night to dramatic examinations about the science of hurricane formation. Other moons and planets make exciting cameos, with special presentations of Mars and Earth's moon.

Footprints is a joint venture between NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Honeywell.

Science on a Sphere uses an advanced media projection technology developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Visualizations of satellite data, computer animation, high definition video and other cinematic techniques are combined and projected onto the suspended sphere from four computer-controlled projectors. The resulting display presents a unique, seamless film that rotates around the globe and defines a wholly new "cinema in the round" experience.

"Science on a Sphere presents educational content about our world and our universe in a format that will stimulate, and dazzle viewers," said Maryland Science Center president and CEO Van Reiner. "This technology - and this dramatic first film - will help us to teach and inspire a new generation of scientists, thinkers and explorers. Children, their parents and their teachers will now have access to the latest and coolest images and information."

"Footprints, representing a pioneering medium for presenting planetary portraits and explaining science, is truly an innovative way to view our world," said the film's producer Michael Starobin. "With spherical full-motion video display technology still in its infancy, we are just scratching the surface of its capabilities. This film premiere and the overall production showcases the vital work that NASA and NOAA do in service of the public interest."

Footprints will be shown in the Our Place in Space exhibit at the Maryland Science Center beginning Friday, December 8. The film will also be seen at nine other U.S. science centers, including National Maritime Center (Nauticus) Norfolk, VA, Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI, The Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose, CA, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Alpena, MI, Imiloa Astronomy Center, Hilo, HI, Planet Theater, ESRL/GSD, Boulder, CO, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD.

The Maryland Science Center at Baltimore's Inner Harbor is visited by more than 550,000 people each year. Popular exhibits include: Dinosaur Mysteries with more than a dozen full-size dinosaurs and interactive paleontology activities; an exploration of the day in the life of the human body in Your Body: The Inside Story; and dozens of interactive experiments in Newton's Alley. Other popular attractions in the museum include the Kids Room, the five-story St. John Properties IMAX Theater, and the world-famous Davis Planetarium.