The International Space Station orbits Earth every 90 minutes. Here’s how to track if it’s above you.
Get an astronaut's-eye view of space without the rocket
For those of us on the ground wishing we were up among the stars, there’s one way to get an astronaut’s-eye view of the planet without having to hitch a ride on a rocket ship.
NASA’s official Worldview website shows exactly what the Earth looks like from space — complete with weather patterns, the day and night cycle, cloud layers and true, accurate colors derived from satellites.
These views are based on real-time data constantly saved to Worldview’s records. This means you can actually turn back the clock and see the Earth’s condition a few months ago. You can go as far back as 2001.
There’s even an Events tab that shows you active conditions like wildfires and tropical storms, which is perfect if you’re keeping an eye on any hurricanes a-brewing in the Gulf.
And for the truly geeky among us, Worldview contains a neat Map Projection feature that lets you change the map to an Arctic, geographic or Antarctic perspective.
If this is getting you hyped up for space travel, you might want to hold your horses for now. Even if space tourism fully emerges, those tickets will no doubt break the bank. On the other hand, NASA Worldview can show you the same thing for free.
Try this site. It’s great stuff!
SpaceX historic launch set for liftoff - here's how to watch
We’ve reached a pivotal point in the history of manned spaceflight: Private industry making its way to the stars. For the first time, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon craft will take human passengers to the International Space Station, and the world is waiting with bated breath to see if Elon Musk’s company is up to the task.
☄️Taking out the space trash: The International Space Station, home to astronauts for almost 25 years, is set to meet its fiery end in 2030. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is building a “space tug” vehicle to pull it toward Earth, earning $843 million from NASA for the gig. It’ll be an unmanned mission; both the tug and the ISS are expected to burn up upon reentry into the atmosphere.