Technology
The Space Center employs technologies and equipment to achieve its simulations. In each ship, there is a powerful sound system (including a powerful bass response to simulate the feeling of the reactor core) hooked up to an industry standard mixing board which combines input from a combination of sound sources heard through the main speakers, such as, sound effects, music, DVD players, CD players, microphones, and voice distorters.
The video system is just as complex. Each mission available has a story DVD with clips compiled for scenes in a story and other visual effects. These video sources are all controlled by a video switcher so that it appears to be a seamless video. In addition to movie clips, the Space Center also makes its own tactical screens. Tactical screens are in essence complex power points that can be networked to display real time information about the ship. This information may include information about things related to the current story such as ship systems while others may be maps or other mission information. Various programs have been used to create these screens including HyperCard and Runtime Revolution.
Each simulator is also equipped with a lighting system allowing both red and white lights to be displayed; red during alerts and white during normal alert levels. Each set of lights is attached to a dimmer in the control room allowing the lights to manually fluctuate in different events during a mission, such as a torpedo impact or power failure. The most advanced set of lights at the Space Center is installed in the Galileo. The lighting system in the Galileo is capable of being controlled via computer making effects seem more realistic.
In order to ensure that campers are safe, a network of closed circuit cameras is also installed at key points on the set to monitor their positions. Each simulator has part of the bridge and connected areas of the set monitored at all times.
The most complex part of each simulator is the computer systems. Each ship has several computers installed. The smallest set, the Galileo, has seven, while the largest set, the Magellan, has 36. Each one of these computers (excluding sound effect computers and tactical computers) is connected to a network allowing communication between computers. In this way, the programs on each of the computers are also able to communicate with each other, allowing the control room to monitor the simulation and for computers on the bridge to update each other with information sent from the control room. The programming on each of the computers used to be programmed in HyperCard, which is still currently in use on the USS Voyager. Later however, the Space Center switched to Revolution Dreamcard by Runtime Revolution. The latest generation of programs at the Space Center are being programmed in Cocoa, Apple Inc's own programming language for their Macintosh computer platform. All of the computer programs in use at the Space Center are designed, programmed, and maintained by a crew of volunteer students known as the Programmers Guild.
Private donations paid for the simulators, while the school district pays the salary of director Williamson. 181 volunteers and part-timers help to operate the simulators.
Read more about this topic: Christa Mc Auliffe Space Education Center
Famous quotes containing the word technology:
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