NASA PLANET COUNTER
JAVASCRIPT
NODE.JS
INSTALLATION
ARDUINO
Planet Counter is a custom data driven LED display installed in the main lobby of NASA's JPL office in Pasadena. This was a collaboration between NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, Justin Gier, and I to create an engaging display that would inform both visitors and scientists working in the facility.
The data comes from pioneering scientists using the Kepler space telescope to study our region of the Milky Way for Earth-like planets in or near the habitable zone around other stars. These planets represent our best chances of discovering other life in the universe.
I was brought on board after Justin had already designed and fabricated the sign in order to develop a software to allow scientists to update the sign and refactor some code.
The LEDs are driven by an Arduino running the Linux OS for which I wrote a small Node.js server to update and interact with the sign. Additionally, I refactored the C code running on the Arduino for maximum flexibility and stability. A time-based system was also implemented to allow the sign to conserve power during non-working hours.
More info on Justin Gier's site
JAVASCRIPT
NODE.JS
INSTALLATION
ARDUINO
Planet Counter is a custom data driven LED display installed in the main lobby of NASA's JPL office in Pasadena. This was a collaboration between NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, Justin Gier, and I to create an engaging display that would inform both visitors and scientists working in the facility.
The data comes from pioneering scientists using the Kepler space telescope to study our region of the Milky Way for Earth-like planets in or near the habitable zone around other stars. These planets represent our best chances of discovering other life in the universe.
I was brought on board after Justin had already designed and fabricated the sign in order to develop a software to allow scientists to update the sign and refactor some code.
The LEDs are driven by an Arduino running the Linux OS for which I wrote a small Node.js server to update and interact with the sign. Additionally, I refactored the C code running on the Arduino for maximum flexibility and stability. A time-based system was also implemented to allow the sign to conserve power during non-working hours.
More info on Justin Gier's site