Virtual journey to the lunar Peak of Eternal Light
Date: 28 July 2009
Copyright: ESA
Join Commander Björn Grieger and his flight crew onboard a virtual lunar shuttle called 'Sparrow' for a thrilling flight over the lunar surface.
This virtual guided tour across a 3D lunar surface explores Shackleton Crater en-route to the famous Peak of Eternal Light, a location 17 kilometres from the Moon's South Pole that is illuminated almost constantly by the Sun, making it a possible site for a future lunar outpost.
A method known as shape-from-shading was used to produce the 3D lunar surface featured in the movie. The method was used in a novel way, applying it simultaneously to five images taken in diverse lighting conditions by the Advanced Moon Imaging Experiment (AMIE) on board ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft. This model was originally developed for research purposes before being converted into a movie for Ars Electronica Center, Austria.
