Great Zoom into the Kodak Theater with Spin (Los Angeles, CA)

Using data from different spacecraft and some powerful computer technology, visualizers at the Goddard Space Flight Center present you with a collection of American cities in a way you have never seen them before. Starting with our camera high above the Earth, we rush in towards the surface at what would be an impossible speed for any known vehicle. Passing though layers of atmosphere, the colors of our destinations shimmer with their own unique characteristics, and suddenly we find ourselves floating in virtual space just above the ground. This visualization is the first time we have incorporated topographic relief into a great zoom. This particular visualization was created at the request of ABC to use in the opening of the 2003 Academy Awards; however, due to Iraqi war coverage with zooms that appeared similar, the visualization was pulled at the last minute. There were tentative plans to use this visualization in the 2004 Academy Award coverage - but it was pulled from the lineup at the last minute due in part to the war in Iraq.