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11-year-old Mac Used to Take Shuttle Picture


Associated Press reports that the grainy photo shot Feb. 1 of the Columbia’s underside was shot not by a powerful Starfire spy telescope, but by engineers running a self-rigged 11-year-old Mac and commercially available telescope. Ironically, the amateur nature of the images, the “blurriest” they’d ever taken, both helps the NASA investigation, since the photo would not normally have been taken, and hinders it. A jagged edge on the wing may be a clue to the Columbia’s demise, or simply a side-effect of the resolution. Hopefully the engineers’ imagery, taken minutes before the shuttle was lost, will contribute in some way. (Thanks to Chuck Davey for the story.)

By Jason O'Grady

Founded the PowerPage in 1995.