Yesterday, I posted a NASA video of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise being carefully detached from its 747 Shuttle Carrier plane at JFK International Airport. The time-lapse video was actually shot by a rig made by NYC Resistor, a Brooklyn-based hacker collective that counts MakerBot's Bre Pettis (and friend of the site!) as one of its founders.
NYC Resistor members built and installed the time-lapse camera near Hanger 12 at JFK, bolting the rig down and marking it with traffic cones during the 20-hour operation. They used a Sony Alpha digital camera with a zoom lens, attached to a large battery and a simple $75 time-lapse trigger you can buy online. In addition to the time-lapse, the attending Resistor members took many photographs and even real-time video of the Shuttle demating process. My favorite is this close up of the 747 Shuttle Carrier showing stencils of its numerous Shuttle ferrying missions over the years. That's an incredible badge of honor for an passenger plane.
If you live in the New York area, NYC Resistor hosts public events and classes weekly, including open sessions with its in-house laser cutter. Learn more about its events on the NYC Resistor website.