Mission Control Comes to Your PC
Dateline: 07/05/00
Space fans -- you know those big displays in NASA's Mission Control that show the actual location of the space shuttle? Wouldn't it be neat to have one of those in your living room? Okay, try the J-Track -- Liftoff 2.5 Web site from NASA's Manned Space Flight Center.
How about that? You get a real-time, constantly updated map of the world showing the exact orbital locations of:
- The Space Shuttle (when it's in flight)
- The MIR Space Station
- The Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE)
- The Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (Explorer 78)
- The International Space Station
- The Hubble Space Telescope
- The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS)
- The Chandra X-ray Observer
E-government in orbit!
The J-Track 2.5 display also shows the real-time movement of daylight and darkness across the face of the globe.
Also look at the J-Track 3-D page. What you will see (assuming your system supports this JAVA applet) is a plot in 3-dimensions showing the position of over 500 satellites. Be sure to try the "Satellite" pull-down menu to choose which satellite you wish to view and try the Zoom and other commands in the J-Track 3-D window.
Satellite Spotter?
If you are one of the many people who enjoy trying to make visual sightings
of the Space Shuttle or satellites, you will want to subscribe to the J-Pass
e-mail report generator. This system will e-mail you reports for up to 10
satellites (plus the Shuttle if it is flying).
Each report gives you the times your chosen
satellites are going to cross through your local sky during the next three days,
the approximate location, and the visible brightness.
J-Track is a product of NASA's Liftoff to Space Exploration project, a great educational tool in itself.
NASA Mars Poll:
Since the Mars
Polar Surveyor sent back evidence
of flowing water on Mars, NASA's mission to send a manned exploration to the
Red Planet has gained new impetus. Considering the costs. risks, and potential
benefits of this massive effort, do you think NASA's manned Mars mission should
be sped up, slowed down, or dropped completely?
Click here to take the Mars and other Instant Polls.
Reference Links
The Real Mission Control
Take a clickable tour of the actual Mission Control Center as it operates during Space Shuttle flights.NASA -- A Faster Trip to Mars?
Could this new plasma-powered rocket engine reduce the trip to Mars from nine months to only three?NASA TV
Live (Windows Media Player) coverage of NASA TV. Usually showing shots of Earth from the Shuttle. Also see the NASA TV Schedule.
E-Government! Online Government Services
From adopting wild horses to buying T-bills and bonds, the US Government is working to make more an more of its services available to Internet users. Try out E-Government now. From your About Guide.
The Mars Global Surveyor has taken pictures of Mars that suggest recent flows of water on or near the Martian surface. Space Guide Mark Filetti offers a detailed report in this big find.
A constantly updated list of all the latest happenings on and off this world, from your About Space Guide.Mark Filetti.
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