Gallery: This Is What the Olympics Looks Like From Space
01olympic-park-2
From a castle built in the 16th century to a beach volleyball arena erected in 36 days, the London Olympics has some beautiful, historic, unusual and interesting venues. [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/playbook/olympics2012/) Watching the Games on television from afar, you can get a feel for what it is like to be there, and appreciate the views spectators have of the sports and the surrounding iconic London scenery. But from further afar, much further afar, you gain a whole new perspective. Viewed from space or an airplane, the range and breadth of the different arenas, structures, parks and courses comes into focus. Here we bring you most of the sites of the 2012 Olympic Games, stretching from Scotland to the southern edge of England. *Image: Olympic Park, London taken May 24, 2012 by the GeoEye-1 satellite (GeoEye).*
02the-building-of-olympic-park-2
### __Venue: Olympic Park Events: Basketball, Cycling BMX, Cycling Track, Diving, Handball, Hockey, Modern Pentathlon, Swimming, Synchronized Swimming, Track and Field, Water Polo__ More than 200 buildings were demolished and 1.4 million cubic meters of earth was excavated to make way for the 1-square-mile Olympic Park. Most of the material and soil was reused in the new structures and landscape. Construction began in May 2008 with the Olympic Stadium, which stands out prominently in the time sequence above. The image at the top left is from 2000, years before London was selected to host its third Olympics. By September 2009, construction of the stadium was well underway (top center). The Aquatics Center, the shiny, oval-shaped building to the right of the stadium, was the final structure to be completed on July 27, 2011, a year before the opening ceremony. The lower right image was taken on May 24, 2012 by the GeoEye-1 satellite. *Images: Taken, from left to right, Nov. 4, 2009, Sep. 21, 2009, Apr. 8, 2011, Aug. 3, 2011, Feb. 26, 2012, May 24, 2012. GeoEye*
03greenwich-park-equestrian-modern-pentathlon
### __Venue: Greenwich Park Events: Equestrian, Modern Pentathlon__ London's oldest royal park, Greenwich Park dates back to 1433 and is the home to the Prime Meridian Line. A temporary arena (near the lower center of the image above) was built on top of 2,000 pillars to host equestrian events including dressage and jumping. A temporary course was built for the cross-country portion of the Eventing competition and the 3.5-mile cross-country course has 42 jumps. *Image: Taken May 24, 2012. © 2010 Google, © 2012 GeoEye.*
04horse-guards-parade-beach-volleyball
### __Venue: Horse Guards Parade Event: Beach Volleyball__ Around 5,500 tons of sand was used to build a temporary beach volleyball court in the parade ground in front of the Prime Minister's residence. The grounds, built in 1745, are named for the soldiers that have protected the monarch for hundreds of years. Because the Queen's birthday celebration includes a Trooping of the Colour event at Horse Guard's Parade every year, the volleyball court had to be assembled in just over a month. *Image: Taken Aug. 2, 2011. © 2010 Google, © 2012 GeoEye.*
05wembley-football-badminton-rhythmic-gymnastics
### __Venue: Wembley Stadium and Arena Events: Football, Badminton, Rhythmic Gymnasitcs__ Wembley Stadium, the large structure in the image above, was rebuilt in 2007 and is hosting some of the football (soccer) games. The white arch that can be seen by its shadow in the image rises to 425 feet and spans more than 1,000 feet, making it the largest single-span roof structure in the world. Wembley Arena in the upper left of the image was originally built for the British Empire Games (known as the Commonwealth Games today) in 1934. It used to feature a swimming pool which was last used during the 1948 Olympic Games in London. *Images: Above: Taken July 26, 2010. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Bluesky. Below: Taken Dec. 31, 2005. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Bluesky.* [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/08/wembley-2005.jpg)
06lords-cricket-ground-archery
### __Venue: Lord's Cricket Ground Event: Archery__ Though many of the London Olympic venues have a royal history, Lord's Cricket Ground was named after its founder, Thomas Lord. It is arguably the most important locale in the world of cricket – it is home to the Marylebone Cricket Club, which is the keeper of the Laws of Cricket. *Image: Taken Aug. 2, 2011. © 2010 Google, © 2012 GeoEye.*
07lee-valley-white-water-centre-canoe-slalom
### __Venue: Lee Valley White Water Centre Event: Canoe Slalom__ A 2.5-acre lake and a 1,000-foot-long slalom course with an 18-foot drop were constructed for the Olympic Games. A set of pumps delivers almost 4,000 gallons of water per second from the lake into the course to produce the white water. Completed in December 2010, the venue is the only new structure to be open for public use before the games. *Image: Taken Dec. 31, 2011. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Get Mapping plc.*
08north-greenwich-arena-basketball-gymnastics-trampoline
### __Venue: North Greenwich Arena Events: Basketball, Gymnastics, Trampoline__ This venue sits tucked into a gooseneck of the River Thames. The arena has 20,000 seats and 11 movie screens. *Image: Taken May 24, 2012. © 2010 Google, © 2012 GeoEye.*
09the-mall-athletics-road-cycling
### __Venue: The Mall Events: Marathon, Race Walk, Road Cycling__ There were just 36 days between the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the start of the Games in which to prepare several venues, including The Mall. This long, reddish lane was designed to welcome visiting royals and dignitaries to Buckingham Palace, which sits at the bottom left of the image above. In the upper right is Trafalgar Square. *Image: Taken Aug. 2, 2011. © 2010 Google, © 2012 GeoEye.*
10riverbank-arena-hockey-2
### __Venue: Riverbank Arena Events: Hockey__ The temporary Riverbank Arena is the first Olympic venue to feature a hockey field that isn't green. *Image: Taken May 24, 2012 (GeoEye).*
11hyde-park-swimming-triathlon
### __Venue: Hyde Park Events: Swimming, Triathlon__ Hyde Park's Serpentine Lake is the site of the Marathon Swimming 10 km and the swimming leg of the Triathlon. *Image: Taken July 26, 2010. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Bluesky.*
12box-hill-road-cycling
### __Venue: Box Hill Event: Road Cycling__ Box Hill is a summit located in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Box Hill circuit will play a part in the Road Cycling Road Race with the men completing nine laps and the women two laps. *Image: Taken May 23, 2009. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Infoterra Ltd. & Bluesky.*
13hampden-park-football
### __Venue: Hampden Park Event: Football__ Hampden Park is Scotland's national stadium. The arena, built in 1903, once had a 150,000-person capacity and holds all major European records for attendance. After several rounds of renovations over the years, the stadium's current capacity is 52,063. *Image: Taken May 5, 2009. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Infoterra Ltd. & Bluesky.*
14hampton-court-palace-road-cycling
### __Venue: Hampton Court Palace Event: Road Cycling Time Trial__ Hampton Court Palace was built in the 16th and 17th centuries and has been home to many royals over the centuries, including Henry VIII. In 2012, it is home to the exciting Road Cycling Time Trial. *Image: Taken July 26, 2010. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Infoterra Ltd. & Bluesky.*
15velodrome-cycling-track
### __Venue: Olympic Park Velodrome Event: Cycling Track__ The roof of the Velodrome is a cable-net design made of interwoven steel cables, which reduced the amount of material used and the time needed to complete construction by 4 months, bringing it to under 2 years. The building can be seen 8 months after construction began in the image on the left taken in November 2009. The 2012 image on the right shows the finished structure, which was completed in February 2011. The image below shows the same area in 2005. *Images: Above: Nov. 3, 2009 (left). © 2010 Google, © 2012 GeoEye. May 24, 2012 (right). © 2010 Google, © 2012 GeoEye. Below: Taken Dec. 31, 2006. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Bluesky.* [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/08/op-veolodrome-2006.jpg)
16wimbledon-tennis
### __Venue: Wimbledon Event: Tennis__ Wimbledon, which opened in 1922, has 19 grass courts, 6 clay courts and 5 indoor courts. The retractable roof on Centre Court seen in the image above in 2010 can be seen during construction in the image below from 2008. *Images: Above: Taken July 26, 2010. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Bluesky. Below: Taken Mar. 04, 2008. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Getmapping plc.* [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/08/wimbledon-2008.jpg)
17eton-dorney-canoe-sprint-rowing
### __Venue: Eton Dorney Rowing Centre Events: Canoe Sprint, Rowing__ Eton Dorney is a 400-acre park within a conservation area, located 25 miles west of London, not too far from Windsor Castle. *Image: Taken Sep. 27, 2008. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Infoterra Ltd. & Bluesky.*
18aquatics-centre-diving-modern-pentathlon-swimming-synchronized-swimming
### __Venue: Aquatics Centre Events: Diving, Modern Pentathlon, Swimming, Synchronized Swimming__ The Aquatics Centre was designed by architect Zaha Hadid with a 525-foot-long wave-shaped roof. The 3,300-ton roof was one of the most difficult construction projects for the Games: The entire roof was lifted more than 4 feet at once and placed onto its concrete supports. The three pools inside the centre are covered with 180,000 tiles. *Images: Top: Taken Sep. 9, 2006 (Digital Globe). Middle: Taken Sep. 20, 2009 (GeoEye). Bottom: Taken May 24, 2012 (GeoEye).*
19excel-boxing-fencing-judo-taekwondo-table-tennis-weightlifting-wrestling
### __Venue: Exhibition Centre London__ __Events: Boxing, Fencing, Judo, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, Weightlifting, Wrestling__ The largest indoor venue at the 2012 Olympics and one of the largest in Olympic history, ExCeL covers nearly 1 million square feet, is made up of five different arenas and is hosting seven different sports. Around 25 percent of the medals awarded at the Games will be won here. The airplanes in the bottom right corner of the image above from May give a sense of the scale of the structure. Below, this image from 1944 shows the area was mostly occupied by shipping and warehouses. *Images: Above: Taken May 24, 2012. © 2010 Google, © 2012 GeoEye. Below: Taken December 31, 1944. © 2010 Google, © 2012 The GeoInformation Group.* [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/07/excel_1945.jpg)
20the-royal-artillery-barracks-shooting
### __Venue: The Royal Artillery Barracks Event: Shooting__ Though The Royal Artillery Barracks have been home to shooting ranges since 1716, new structures were built for the Olympics that covered in 194,000 square feet of PVC membrane. The membrane is stretched over [strange-looking, brightly colored protruding openings](http://www.london2012.com/photos/galleryid=1253482/#the-royal-artillery-barracks-1253484) that can be seen from space in the image above. *Image: Taken May 24, 2012. © 2010 Google, © 2012 GeoEye.*
21hadleigh-farm-mountain-biking
### __Venue: Hadleigh Farm Event: Mountain Biking__ Hadleigh Farm covers 550 acres of grassland and woodland owned by the Salvation Army around 35 miles east of London. The image above was taken 6 months before the construction of the 3-mile mountain biking course began in July 2010. In all, 550 tons of rock and 3,800 tons of crushed stone were used to create the terrain, which features drops of up to 230 feet. *Image: Taken Dec. 31, 2009. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Infoterra Ltd. & Bluesky, © 2012 Getmapping plc.*
22copper-box-handball-modern-pentathlon
### __Venue: Copper Box Events: Handball, Modern Pentathlon__ The Copper Box was built to be sustainable with "light pipes" letting natural light into the building, a roof that collects rainwater for toilet flushes and recycled copper cladding on the outside that gives the building its name. *Images: Left: Taken Sep. 9, 2006 (Digital Globe). Right: Taken May 24, 2012 (GeoEye).*
23basketball-arena-basketball-handball
### __Venue: Basketball Arena Events: Basketball, Handball__ The Basketball Arena is one of the largest temporary venues ever built for the Olympics. It will also be one of the busiest, with events nearly every day during the Games. *Image: Taken May 24, 2012 (GeoEye).*
24millennium-stadium-football
### __Venue: Millennium Stadium Event: Football__ Located 150 miles west of London, Millennium Stadium features the UK's first fully retractable roof. The 74,500-seat venue was completed in 1999. *Image: Taken Sep. 7, 2006. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Infoterra Ltd. & Bluesky.*
25water-polo-arena-water-polo
### __Venue: Water Polo Arena Events: Water Polo__ This 5,000-capacity arena is the only dedicated water polo venue built for an Olympic Games. It features a roof that slopes from 20 feet in height to 82 feet. *Images: Top: Taken Sep. 9, 2006 (Digital Globe). Bottom: Taken May 24, 2012 (GeoEye).*
Image: Joseph A. Tobias and D. Seddon26old-trafford-football
### __Venue: Old Trafford Event: Football__ Old Trafford, located about 200 miles northwest of London, is the home field of Manchester United Football Club. The stadium was built in 1910 and was severely damaged in 1941 during World War II. It was repaired and reopened in 1949. *Image: Taken June 7, 2009. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Infoterra Ltd. & Bluesky.*
27bmx-track-bmx-cycling
### __Venue: BMX Track Events: BMX Cycling__ The 1,500-foot-long BMX Track was built out of 500,000 cubic feet of soil excavated from elsewhere in Olympic Park. *Images: Left: Taken Sep. 9, 2006 (Digital Globe). Right: Taken May 24, 2012 (GeoEye).*
28st-james-park-football
### __Venue: St. James' Park Event: Football__ St James' Park was built in the 19th century and has been home to Newcastle United Football Club since 1892. In 1992 the stadium underwent a major renovation and in 2000 its capacity was increased to 52,000. *Image: Taken Apr. 26, 2006. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Infoterra Ltd. & Bluesky.*
29earls-court-volleyball
### __Venue: Earls Court Event: Volleyball__ Earl's Court was opened in 1937, and during the 1948 London Olympic Games it hosted Boxing, Gymnastics, Weightlifting and Wrestling events. *Image: Taken July 26, 2010. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Bluesky.*
30city-of-coventry-stadium-football
### __Venue: City of Coventry Stadium Event: Football__ One of six venues hosting the 2012 Olympic football competition, City of Coventry Stadium was opened just 5 years ago in 2007. It is home to the Coventry City Football Club. *Image: Taken Dec. 31, 2009. © 2010 Google, © 2012 Getmapping plc.*
