One small step for man…
When we think about what the internet means we’re often looking to the future, thinking about what’s next, but does this mean we’re losing our sense of history? With computers it’s now so much easier to store and catalog historical data, but, thankfully the internet can also be a tool to keep it alive, interesting, and easy to access.
I’ve recently discovered a couple of wonderful sites that highlighted this to me. They each create a lovely and rich interactive experience that actually help us connect with some great moments of the past.
Spacelog
I love this site. It brings together transcripts of 6 space missions in an easy to read and explore format. Choose a mission and you can follow what happens step by step. Each item is separated by the person who says it in a twitter-like manner, and there are also some lovely pictures to make the experience even richer. The most appealing thing about this is that it creates a sense of wonder and childlike excitement; it feels like you are listening in to a secret conversation from the past.
Here are some key space mission moments.
Apollo 11 mission – Neil Armstrong – first man to walk on the moon
Apollo 13 mission – Houston, we’ve had a problem
Civil war
What makes this site appealing is how the information and statistics have been visualised. The content of each section is interesting as well as slightly morbid, but that just makes it a little bit more fun. Explore statistics of how the soldiers died, the weapons, the battles as well as the ridiculous amounts of money that was spent on it. But, I think what makes this special is how the beautiful graphics and animations help add to the experience, creating a site that is enjoyable to interact with.
