Those of you who attended our Nikon Owner Christmas Dinner at the IoD will recall Scott Andrews captivating talk about shoot a Shuttle Launch. Scott has just sent me the following.



In this unique time-lapse video created from thousands of individual frames, photographers Scott Andrews, Stan Jirman and Philip Scott Andrews condense six weeks of painstaking work into three minutes, 52 seconds (read here how they did it).

The action starts in the hangar-like Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center , where Discovery has been outfitted for its STS-131 mission. The vehicle is then towed to the 525-foot-high Vehicle Assembly Building , hoisted into a vertical position and lowered onto its external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters. Then it’s off to the pad on the giant Mobile Launcher Platform, where the shuttle is encased in its protective Rotating Service Structure until just before launch on April 5, 2010.

The film ends with a glimpse of Discovery and the STS-131 astronauts coming in for a landing 15 days later, back in Florida where it all started.

Read the full article here.

Enjoy!

Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has placed an order for eleven D3S digital SLR cameras and seven AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lenses to be used for photographic documentation.

The D3S digital SLR cameras and AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lenses ordered by NASA will be carried on the Space Shuttle and used to photograph activities at the International Space Station (ISS) in the future.

No special modifications will be made to these products. They will be the same products available to end-users, confirming the incredible versatility of the D3S. This equipment will be used along with the Nikon D2XS digital SLR cameras, NIKKOR lenses, and Nikon Speedlights already in use at the International Space Station.

Nikon has spent many years contributing to NASA's study of space through the development and manufacture of advanced and extremely durable cameras as well as of NIKKOR lenses that make the most of Nikon's optical technologies, and of which production has recently reached fifty million units. To date, NASA has captured more than 700,000 images using Nikon equipment carried into space. Space, however, is not the only extreme environment in which Nikon equipment is used. Nikon also provides official observation equipment used in exploring the Antarctic. Nikon equipment contributes to observation and research of these little explored regions with durability, reliability and technical capabilities that stand up to even the most severe environments.

Nikon's history with NASA

• 1971: Nikon Photomic FTn* (NASA specifications) was used on Apollo 15
• 1980: The "Small Camera", based on the Nikon F3 and equipped with a motor drive, and the F3 "Big Camera", which utilized long film, were delivered to NASA. The "Small Camera" was used aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia launched the following year
• 1991: The Nikon F4 and F4S were delivered to NASA
• 1999: The Nikon F5 and AF Nikkor lens were carried aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery to photograph extravehicular activities (EVA)
• 2008: D2XS digital SLR cameras were delivered to NASA. Six D2XS cameras are used in space to document activities such as inspection and maintenance.
• In addition, already about 15 types of NIKKOR lenses (more than 35 lenses all together) are kept aboard the International Space Station for intravehicular and extravehicular photography to provide continued support for NASA's space activities.
• Nikon F equipped with Photomic FTn viewfinder that supports TTL center-weighted metering.

The D3S was released in November 2009 as the latest flagship model for Nikon FX-format digital SLR cameras. This camera is equipped with a new CMOS sensor (36.0 × 23.9 mm) developed by Nikon and supports standard ISO sensitivity settings of 200 to 12800. Sensitivity can also be set as high as Hi 3 (ISO 102400 equivalent) or as low as Lo 1 (ISO 100 equivalent). Image-degrading noise has been minimized to enable shooting at high sensitivities under even extremely dim lighting. In addition, the D3S is equipped with the D-Movie function, enabling HD video capture and includes high-sensitivity movie mode and movie editing functions for trimming start and ending footage or saving selected frames as JPEG stills. Naturally, the camera itself is representative of an all-round flagship model offering basic performance and operation that meet the strict demands (fast, support for high sensitivities, superior image quality) of professional and advanced amateur photographers in a number of fields, including the press, sports and nature photography.

The AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED is the world's first ultra wide-angle, zoom lens to offer a focal length of 14mm with a maximum aperture of f/2.8. The performance of this lens has been extremely well received by the camera industry, and recognized by Europe's Technical Image Press Association (TIPA), which awarded it The Best Professional Lens in Europe 2008, and the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA), which awarded it European Professional Lens 2008-2009.

..


On behalf of Grays of Westminster and Nikon Owner magazine, we are delighted to announce our celebratory 2009 Christmas Event and Dinner, which will be held at the prestigious Institute of Directors (IoD) at 116 Pall Mall on Friday, December 11th, 2009. This grand Regency building with its sweeping marble staircase and vast walls covered in 18th and 19th Century canvases provides a spectacular backdrop for the evening, which will take place in the magnificent period restaurant, a most fitting venue for an elegant, traditional Christmas celebration.


The Grays of Westminster and Nikon Owner Christmas Event will be a unique occasion this year. During the evening, Mr. Scott Andrews, the legendary former head of Nikon Professional Services for Washington, will be flying in from the USA to give us an extraordinary illustrated talk on photographing a Rocket launch with Nikon using remote applications, entitled: “Shooting a NASA Space-Shuttle Launch.”


Over the years, Scott Andrews has worked with the Washington Press Corps and the US Government in introducing new products and helping Nikon R&D gather ideas. He has also worked very closely with NASA in documenting the Space Shuttle and the evolution of the International Space Station, both in the United States and in Russia. Throughout the period, he continued to develop ways of using remote photography; that is mounting cameras in or on hazardous areas (aircraft, boats, etc) or areas where detection or threat is possible (surveillance, rocket launch). He has also worked with such august bodies as the US Government, National Geographic, Smithsonian Air and Space, US Navy, US Marines, US Air Force, US Army and with prestigious media outlets such as Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, US News and World Report, Reuters, Associated Press, United Press International, European Press Agency, New York Times and Washington Post. He has in addition acted as a consultant to many events such as Presidential Inaugurations, political conventions, Senate hearings, as well as space launches and sporting events.


The Christmas dinner which is included in the event is a sumptuous 3-course meal, with wine, mineral water, coffee and chocolates.

Ticket price: £79.00 per head

Ticket price for current Nikon Owner subscribers: £59.000 per head (or the special price of £55.00 per person if you are bringing a guest or guests).

Please note, that if you are not currently a Nikon Owner subscriber, and would like to find out more, do send me an email with your name and daytime (mobile and landline) telephone numbers and I will be happy to call you and answer your questions.

To reserve your place(s) at the Christmas event and dinner, please email me with your name and contact details or call the Nikon Owner magazine office on 020 7828 8971 or Grays of Westminster on 020 7828 4925 (Monday to Friday between 10.00 a.m. and 5.30 p.m.). Please ask to speak to myself or Gray Levett. Do note that places are strictly limited so contact us as soon as you are able to in order to avoid disappointment. Your menu choices (please see the menu below) will be emailed to you to complete and return.

Venue: Institute of Directors, 116 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5ED

Tel: 020 7839 1233

Website: www.iod.com

Time: From 6.30 pm to 11:30 pm on Friday, December 11th, 2009.

The bar will be open from 6.30 pm to 10.30 p.m., and dinner will be served at 7.30 p.m.

Dress Code: Suits/cocktail dresses. (Trainers, jeans or T-shirts are not permitted.)


We very much forward to welcoming you to our very special Christmas evening.

With best wishes,

Gillian Greenwood

(on behalf of Nikon Owner magazine and Grays of Westminster)
.