Welcome to Brain-Dead Bob's Celestia web site!

(Designed for 1024 x 768 Displays, Sorry, but this is SMALL for me!)



Links
News
Tools
Lessons
Files
     I already know I have a long way to go here yet, but I
    am working on the place at a feverish pace...

    This site is dedicated to Celestia.

    For those of you who are unfamilar with this freeware
    program, let me just wax philosophical here for a
    moment. Celestia is an open-source, FREEWARE
    application which has been designed by its creator,
    Chris Laurel, to be an absolutely spectacular way
    to explore the universe...

    Using Celestia, one can - from the comfort of one's
    own home - explore not only our solar system and all
    of its planets and moons, but one can also explore
    the Kuiper Belt, the comets, the asteroids, other
    galaxies, nebulae and a very large variety of the
    spacecraft and satellites which have been launched
    from our own tiny home planet.		 ElChristou's masterful rendition of Atlantis!
 
    By the way, and just in case you're wondering...

    I am NOT your typical Celestia user...		 Above, is a very small screen shot I took of Christophe Campos' (a.k.a. ElChristou's)
masterful rendition of the real spacecraft - the Atlantis Space Shuttle - as it orbits over
Don Edwards' Realistic Earth. For more information concerning Christophe's simply
outstanding spacecraft models, see the Celestial Matters link just below.
 
    Hence, the name "Brain-Dead" Bob. Most of the
    folks on the Celestia User's Forum already know
    that I have absolutely NO brains when it comes to
    the science and mathematics which make Celestia
    do that which it does so well. I'm simply your
    average Bozo who really enjoys the exploration of
    space and the science of the universe.
Visit CM for realistic add-ons!

Visit the ML for ALL of your Celestia needs!




     So, since I am definitely NOT one of the geniuses who generally cavort around on the Celestia Forum, I try to volunteer my time in other ways... I offer suggestions from "Yer Average Joe's" viewpoint, and I help test selected projects. I also create touring scripts for use within Celestia, and then generally raise hell with all of the other users on the forum.

As time permits, I'll be adding revised touring scripts here on my web site, and on the generally available Celestia MotherLode. This is also a site worth visiting. On the MotherLode , you can find many, MANY add-ons, and all kinds of freeware for use within the Celestia program. I would very much like to thank Ulrich Dickmann (a.k.a. "Adirondack") for all of his efforts in trying to keep this site available and up and running. When I finally got my new PC, this resource allowed me to get all of the add-ons I wanted very quickly, and I'm deeply grateful to Ulrich for all of his help.

Finally, for you realism-enthusiasts, I would highly recommend a visit to the Celestial Matters web site. As mentioned above, you'll find some simply out-standing add-ons for my favorite universe-exploring software. The add-ons found on this site are as realistic as they can be made. Dr.Fridger Schrempp - a theoretical physicist - has done his utmost to insure that all of the textures and other materials found on this site are based on reality. This means that the very latest photographs and scientific data from science missions (like Cassini/Huygens) have been used in the creation of the planet and moon textures which can be downloaded from Celestial Matters. Many thanks to Christophe Campos and Runar Thorvaldsen for all of THEIR outstanding creations too. These guys have poured their hearts into their works, and it is VERY much appreciated by this old "Brain-Dead" Geezer.




     On the off-chance that you might like to know just a bit more about old Brain-Dead Bob, here's the real deal...

I am currently a 100% disabled US veteran. I have been shot three times, stabbed twice, and I have an interesting variety of life-threatening illnesses. I have taken anywhere from one to four insulin shots on a daily basis since the age of 21, which now means that I have managed to keep my limbs and my eyesight for over 35 years. I have diabetic neuropathy which sometimes causes me intense bouts of pain and numbness (as well as freezing coldness in my limbs) and I also developed Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2005. I take another rather painful shot for this once a week, as well as a regimen of approximately 12 different pills on a daily and weekly basis for all of my ailments. If you think that I'm a GRUMPY old SOB, then you are quite correct. I doubt that you'd be very happy under my circumstances though. So, if I sound like a grumpy old SOB, it is because I am a grumpy old SOB.

Deal with it...

Celestia allows me the opportunity to forget about these minor problems and to explore the Universe. This gives me great joy, so again I thank all who participate in this venture.




Links:
  • Celestia is the main site where you can download
    the Celestia program.
  • The Celestia Forum is where you can raise hell
    with all of the geniuses behind Celestia.
  • The Celestia MotherLode is a repository for all
    things Celestia, both realistic and fictional.
  • If you're looking only for realistic textures and/or
    models, visit Celestial Matters.
  • For some more excellent spacecraft models, you
    can visit Bob Hundley's site.
  • Selden E. Ball, Jr. maintains a vast array of
    information concerning - not only Celestia -
    but almost any topic you can think of when
    exploring the universe. Click here, and then tell
    Selden that old "Brain-Dead" sent you!
  • Don Edwards' Earth Central and Mars Central
    sites contain some really spectacular textures.
 Saturn as seen from a vantage point in space.
  • Cartrite's Site is the place to find some outstanding
    high-resolution textures for Earth and Mars. You can also download the latest versions of Celestia (under development) from Steve's page located HERE.
  • Many more add-ons (models and orbital data)
    can be found at Jack Higgins' site.
  • Some very nice add-ons for Celestia can be found
    at Fenerit's Website for Celestia.
The small image above is a very poor reproduction of a spectacular viewpoint next to
the planet Saturn. Runar Thorvaldsen created the planet textures, and Dr. Fridger
Schrempp created the ring textures. Magnifique!
  • Jean-Marie Le Cosperec's Site is the place to find
    some simply amazing and spectacular add-ons for
    the movie "2001 - A Space Odyssey," and a variety
    of very interesting Soviet spacecraft.

    Note that the small images - at right - were taken
    from some of my explorations inside the Discovery
    spacecraft after I modified Jean-Marie's package
    a bit... The upper image is the view from behind
    the Hal 9000 console, and looking directly out into
    space through the open pod bay door.

    NOTE: Files last updated on 8 Aug 2008!
 Inside the bow of Discovery.
  • Get this package! The lower image represents
    the view from directly in front of the open pod bay
    door, and looking back into Discovery at the Hal
    9000 console.

    This add-on is simply spectacular in Celestia.

    Many thanks to Jean-Marie for taking the time to
    create this superb package. In case you haven't
    noticed it yet, I still think that Arthur C. Clarke
    should have been placed in charge at NASA.
 Looking through the front door of Discovery.




News: NASA is testing some new equipment for a long-overdue return to our Moon!

NASA's Human Robotic Systems Project, part of the agency's Exploration Technology Development Program, is focusing on human and robotic mobility systems for the Moon, and is also looking at a variety of communications and command and control systems which will connect future explorers with the Earth and with each other. The Moses Lake, Washington dunes provide a wide variety of soil consistencies and terrain that allows teams to put prototype scout robots, rovers, cargo carriers, cranes and spacesuits through tests in a harsh and changing environment. 		New Lunar Rover!
     
     
  These prototype tests are being used to inform program developers of the specific requirements which will be needed for future lunar surface support systems in the Constellation Program. This program is building the launch vehicles and the spacecraft which will be used to take a new generation of explorers back to our Moon. Lunar landers, habitats, life-support systems, vehicles and robots are all being constructed.

NOTE: These images are courtesy of NASA.

Click on the upper image for more information from NASA, and the lower image for a YouTube video describing the program. 		The Constellation Program!




Tools: 3DStoCMOD NOTE: This Motherlode web page contains a wide variety of other useful tools, but the 3DStoCMOD tool also provides a very nice GUI wrapper for use with Windows. This tool is extremely useful in converting 3DS model files into Celestia's proprietary modeling CMOD format. You can also use this tool to convert binary CMODs into ASCII CMODs if you'd like to see what they contain, or if you'd like to apply PNG files to a particular model. Please note that if I can figure out how to do this, then so can you.
     
  Anim8or This is an excellent freeware 3D modeler which can be used to edit and/or create 3DS spacecraft and other objects for use within the Celestial Universe. It does take some getting used to, but works very well once you know what you're doing.
     
  The Gimp This freeware graphics utility is simply the best available for use with the creation and/or modification of Celestia's textures.
     
  IrfanView This is another freeware graphics utility. This program offers very quick viewing of texture files, and it contains batch programming capabilities. This is very useful if you ever need to modify the various properties of many Celestia textures at once.
     
  Izarc Unzip Utility This freeware un-zipping utility is a must-have for any Celestia user. This program can handle almost any compression format.
     
  Julian Date Utility This is one of NASA's web sites for use in converting Julian dates into normal Calendar dates, and vice-versa.
     
  Notepad 2 This freeware replacement for Windows Notepad is another must-have for any Celestia user. This program can be used to edit very large text files, and it handles special characters with ease.
     
  Nvidia's Homepage Although this is not exactly a tool for Celestia, you really need to keep your Nvidia graphics drivers updated to avoid problems. Start here if you don't know where else to go.




Lessons: Surface Location Tutorial This is a link to the Celestia Forum, where I asked my usual stupid questions in order to learn how to position some spacecraft on the surface of Mars. Martin Charest (Cham), Paul SU(3)xSU(2)xU(1), Andrea and Selden have ALL provided many useful answers to most of the problems you might encounter while trying to position objects on the surface of any planet, so you may wish to view this great resource if you have questions concerning this task in the latest versions of Celestia.
     
  Virtual Textures
for the Brain-Dead		 Dr. Schrempp was kind enough to allow a complete lesson on the new routines available for creating virtual textures. This is an excellent resource for people who are just learning how to create VT's.
     
  Installing Nvidia Updates
for the Brain-Dead		 A lot of my more intelligent friends tried to help me update my Nvidia drivers, and this link should be useful to those of you who may also have trouble with this supposedly simple task. Learn from my mistakes... This is an excellent resource for people who do NOT know what the hell they are doing here. In other words, this link has been placed here for future reference by me!
Warning: Very angry Bob inside.
     
  Modifying Star textures Frank Gregorio has detailed what is needed in order to create and use modified textures for the star(s) of your choice. Along with some helpful comments from Andrew, this resource is worth keeping as a Reference Guide.




Files: Asteroid Texture Package Very simple texture files for use with Bright, Normal, Dark and Medium asteroids.
     
Comet Texture Package Download my very own rendition of what a comet texture should look like. I have heavily modified Paul Roberts' original texture in order to remove a lot of seams, and to add some further details.
     
Crashes/Landers Identified This add-on locates (and places models for) some very real and interesting Lunar, Martian and Venusian landing and crash sites. American, Soviet and Japanese landers and crash sites are identified on the Moon, on Mars, and on Venus. Many thanks to Martin Charest for his excellent work on verifying these locations, and for creating the original SSC files and some of the models included in this package.
     
Jupiter's Visible Rings Download my version of the (barely) visible portion of Jupiter's Ring System.
     
Mars Cloud Texture This 2K Mars cloud texture was originally a fictional 4K texture created by John Van Vliet, but I have filtered it a bit, and also created a revised atmospheric definition (based on real data) for use within your solarsys.ssc file. This data has been revised to include new atmospheric height information which was obtained from the ESA web site located HERE.
     
Mercury Tour Package Download my latest version of the Mercury Tour from the Motherlode. Includes 4K texture maps, models and instructions for setup and use.
     
Venus Tour Package Download my latest version of the Venus Tour from the Motherlode. Includes 4K texture maps, models and instructions for setup and use.
     
Modified Start CEL script Download my latest version of Celestia's Start CEL script. This version makes all custom settings active BEFORE it executes Celestia's opening display sequence. Please note that this is Version 4.3, which now contains code to allow for the modification of your preferred star styles and also adds the ability to set and/or clear your nebulae rendering preferences. This version also allows much improved control of your render location label preferences.
     



Send your e-mail to Old Brain-Dead here!
This site was designed by Old Brain-Dead Himself!
(Click Albert to send him an E-mail!)

Last Updated on 29 August 2008
hit counter