The DC-8 flying laboratory also houses a suite of operational aircraft and data systems, which can be customized to specific missions or science instruments. #Nations photo lab windows#Some of the modifications on board the aircraft include zenith and nadir instrument ports modified window ports for instrument and probe mounting external antenna mounts wing pylon instrument mounts optical windows of various materials a dropsonde delivery tube air and aerosol sampling probes standard 19-inch equipment racks (up to 20 racks and 25 instruments typically accommodated) a laser chiller unit and both 400 Hz and 60 Hz power available to experimenter stations. The aircraft can fly for up to 12 hours, although most science missions average between six to 10 hours. It has a range of 5,400 nautical miles (6,200 statute miles) and can fly at mission altitudes ranging from 1,000 to 42,000 feet. The aircraft has flown with as many as 38 suites of scientific instruments, weighing up to 30,000 pounds. It accommodates a flight crew of eight people and a science crew of up to 42, although it was designed for an airline capacity of 189 passengers. NASA’s DC-8, tail number N817NA, measures 157.5 feet long, with a wingspan of 148.4 feet and a tail that is 43.5 feet high. Because it flies in Earth's atmosphere, the DC-8 is a relatively inexpensive method for testing and verifying prototype satellite instruments.Īfter more than a year of heavy maintenance, including an overhaul to all four engines, the DC-8 returned to the skies on January 6, 2021, to prepare for an aerosols and wind campaign, a joint effort between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA then outfitted it for use in atmospheric science research, as well as missions related to validating instruments before they are launched on satellites and calibrating them afterward. The plane was built in 1969 and used by airlines Alitalia and Braniff Airways before NASA acquired it in 1985. The DC-8’s primary missions are sensor development, satellite sensor verification, and basic research studies of the surface and atmosphere of the Earth. Based at NASA Armstrong's Building 703 in Palmdale, this unique flying laboratory gathers data for experiments in support of scientific projects and community members including investigators from NASA and other federal, state, academic, and foreign institutions. The research occurs aboard NASA's DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratory, a highly modified Douglas DC-8 jetliner. Rather, this room hosts instrument teams from universities and research centers from all over the world who come here to prepare their experiments to fly. What’s missing is any kind of scientific apparatus because this is not the room where the scientific research actually occurs. This space houses things that might be found in any general-purpose laboratory-40 work benches, power strips, a fume hood, three chemical lockers, four sets of laser curtains, a shower and eyewash station, a sink, and a refrigerator. Walk into NASA Armstrong’s airborne science instrument preparation room in Palmdale, CA, and you will see what might appear to be an ordinary lab.
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Of course, a wide maximum aperture means the lens lets in more light, which is useful in low-light conditions too, when you can get really creative with bokeh. While a kit lens with a maximum aperture of f/4-5.6 or more will allow you to blur the background, it won't achieve the same quality of bokeh. A prime lens with a wide maximum aperture like the Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM lens used here lets you blur backgrounds with ease, dissolving details into beautiful points of light. This is one of the main reasons to include a fast prime (fixed focal length) lens in your kitbag, even if the focal length is one covered by your kit zoom. To capture attractive bokeh, you need a 'fast' lens – that is, one with a wide maximum aperture, ideally f/2.8 or wider (lower f-number). There's more to it than just blurring the background – it's also about including attractive highlights, finding the right light or framing details that will look great when dissolved to blur. Here we'll look at some of the key techniques, camera skills and kit you need to make your photos even more striking by capturing appealing bokeh. The lens is the critical element, rather than the camera. Photographers used to believe you needed a DSLR to achieve a good background blur, but a mirrorless camera like the Canon EOS R6 used here is ideal, and entry-level mirrorless models such as the Canon M50 or EOS M6 Mark II will be just as effective. It's an optical effect that can genuinely arise only with the lenses and sensors you get with larger cameras, and nothing beats the look of the real thing. The tiny lenses and sensors in smartphones make it impossible to achieve the shallow depth of field you need for natural bokeh. These days, dual-lens smartphones are capable of mimicking bokeh, but only through software.
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