NASA Announces Opening of New 3D Library of Meteorites and Lunar Rocks

An Anonymous Coward writes:

NASA just opened "Astromaterials 3D" to let anyone see and study lunar rock samples and Antarctic meteorites. From a release:

Nearly 8 years in the making, Astromaterials 3D is an information-rich visualization tool for researchers and the general public. Combining high-resolution photography, structure-from-motion photogrammetry and X-ray computed tomography, the project succeeds at producing research-grade interactive 3D models of the exterior and interior of samples in a single coordinate system.

Rocks from Other Worlds Now Virtually Available:

NASA's astromaterials sample collections, which include a library of Apollo lunar and Antarctic meteorite samples, are now offered online through a new virtual exploration tool for scientific researchers and the public. The Astromaterials 3D Explorer site offers an unprecedented research tool to engage the public in a new way to explore the significance of NASA's space rock collections.

[...] "Most of the samples are preserved for scientific research. There are some subsamples available for educators or in exhibitions and installations around the world, but most of the collection is in a vaulted cleanroom facility for their preservation and protection," said Erika Blumenfeld, transdisciplinary artist and principal investigator and project lead for 3D Astromaterials science, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

[...] Viewers navigating through the samples on the site can follow each rock's history, learning what happened to the rock - and follow it to its ultimate destination, like Antarctica in the case of the meteorites.

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