Through a
landmark agreement announced today, people worldwide will be able to
watch free on the Internet as 16 nations build and occupy the
International Space Station (ISS) in Earth orbit.
The Internet site, EyeOnSpace.com, will utilize the technology and
sponsorship of Eastman Kodak Company to provide viewers the
opportunity to witness live the construction of the International
Space Station. Still and video images will be broadcast from the
Russian Service Module of the Space Station to EyeOnSpace.com.
The participating partners, Russian Aviation and Space Agency
(RASA) and RSC Energia, will deliver, manage and operate cameras
inside and outside the Russian Service Module of the ISS. The U.S.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will transport
via shuttle a Kodak DCS 460 digital camera and accessories to the ISS.
In return, NASA will use the EyeOnSpace.com data and images to assist
the agency mission operations team. Dreamtime, a multimedia
corporation, will manage and operate EyeOnSpace.com in association
with Globus Space, a Texas corporation that has the contractual rights
with the Russian partners. Kodak will be the “Official Imaging
Sponsor” for EyeOnSpace.com.
Currently scheduled for a July 12th launch, the Service Module
will serve as the living quarters, power supply, flight control and
source of propulsion during construction of the Space Station. After
the Service Module or “Zvezda” is operational, the EyeOnSpace.com
website will become active.
“We are delighted to participate in this truly historic
undertaking, both as a sponsor and as a supplier of digital imaging
products and technology,” said James Stoffel, Kodak chief technical
officer. “Kodak has played a strategic imaging role in mankind’s
efforts to explore space, from the first days of manned space flight,
to more recent programs, such as Senator John Glenn’s historic return
to space in 1998.” Stoffel pointed out that the agreement to
participate in the International Space Station supports the company’s
growth initiatives, which include innovative marketing to better
leverage the Kodak brand as well as the use of digital imaging to
expand the market for pictures.
“The International Space Station will change the way people use
space, especially in the commercial application of science and
technology,” said Dan Tam, NASA’s chief space commercialization
officer. “NASA is proud to play a role in this exciting and growing
frontier.”
“We are looking forward to working with EyeOnSpace and their
partners, to bring live images of upcoming space missions to the
Internet so that we all can share in the experience of seeing in real
time how the ISS is being constructed,” Bill Foster, CEO of Dreamtime
said.
Under the terms of the Agreement, Kodak will provide a DCS 460
camera and digital imaging technologies, housed in an external imaging
pod on the Service Module, to capture images of the construction
activity as crews from the U.S., Russia and 14 nations work to
assemble the station over the next several years. Other Kodak DCS 460
cameras and video cameras will also be used inside the ISS.
Editor’s Note: For additional information about Kodak, visit our
web site on the Internet at www.kodak.com/
CONTACT: Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester | Karen Kozak, 770/522-2809 | karen.kozak@kodak.com | or | EyeOnSpace.com: | Megan Jones, 650/604-5397 | megan@dreamtime.com