It’s not often that we get to appreciate the fantastic complexity of
satellites. They’re built, they’re launched, and then they’re out of
sight. In these pictures by photographer Greg White,
however, we get to see that complexity up close, not in the form of
completed crafts but rather as a series of glimpses into the process of
their construction. What you’re seeing here is the birth of a
cutting-edge spacecraft, and it looks every bit as cutting edge as you’d
hope.
The shoot was commissioned by Audi Magazine for a feature about the British space industry,
a project that took White to Astrium Ltd. and Surrey Satellite
Technology Ltd, two satellite components makers in southern England.
It’s fun to imagine that these sort of places would be strange and spare
and futuristic, like scenes from 2001: A Space Odyssey. It turns out that’s not entirely inaccurate.
An anechoic chamber at Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd in England.
White’s shots are filled with massive machines, intricate wiring, and
all sorts of space-age apparatuses. It’s often hard to get a sense of
what, exactly, it is you’re looking it–and that’s very much the point.
White says he deliberately keeps the framing tight, “not showing too
much, to keep an inquisitive view of a machine or area.” For these sorts
of shoots, White relies on a large format camera, an equipment choice
that “slows down the process of capturing the images” and “makes you
think more about what to shoot and how to do it,” he explains.
All the environments where the satellite components are manufactured
and assembled are clean rooms. That means airlock doors, sophisticated
filtration systems, and a uniform of overcoats, shoe-covers, hair nets,
and even beard nets when necessary. It all amounts to a sterile, sci-fi
tableau–one perfectly suited for taking photographs. “Apart from having
to wear a hairnet, it was a pleasure to be in there with nice even light
and constant temperatures,” White says.
In short, they’re sites that are every bit as photogenic as their job
description would suggest. “I love shooting in factories,” White says.
“Most of the newer ones seem to be made for pictures.” http://www.wired.com/design/2014/01/glimpse-futuristic-labs-satellites-assembled/?cid=co17529274#slide-id-404171
It’s not often that we get to appreciate the fantastic complexity of
satellites. They’re built, they’re launched, and then they’re out of
sight. In these pictures by photographer Greg White,
however, we get to see that complexity up close, not in the form of
completed crafts but rather as a series of glimpses into the process of
their construction. What you’re seeing here is the birth of a
cutting-edge spacecraft, and it looks every bit as cutting edge as you’d
hope.
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