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| CREDIT - GOOGLE || IMAGE BY - Flick.com |
Why does it matter?
addition to allowing for panoramic, interactive views of public places on Earth (such as famous landmarks and cities), Google Maps now allows users to take a virtual tour of parts of outer space, too. This is accomplished with Street View in combination with NASA's live stream from outside the International Space Station. Users can zoom in on parts of ISS that are currently under construction and take a walk through what they'll look like when complete — such as an American research lab called Destiny that was installed in May 2012. In addition to learning about what it's like inside one of humankind's greatest scientific achievements, viewers will also be able to observe how astronauts and cosmonauts move around in space both inside and outside their vessel. And while you're at it, why not try to find your house? Google has already mapped more than 80 percent of Earth's landmass; so chances are good you'll be able to spot your home or workplace somewhere out there. Just don't get too close: ISS orbits about 220 miles above our planet's surface. If you see any UFOs zipping by overhead, though, you might want to keep your distance just in case ...
Google has partnered with NASA since 2005 and we have worked together on several space-related projects, said Brian McClendon, vice president of Google Maps and Google Earth Outreach.
What you can see inside ISS
Google’s tech crew loaded about 45,000 panoramic photos into Google Maps, meaning you can float around inside your computer and visit a slice of life aboard what is essentially a spaceship. The United States-based View from Above website commissioned NASA to take these panoramic shots as part of an ongoing project to document every inch of our world—literally. Be sure to hop on board before 2024 though; once NASA stops supporting ISS, they’ll all be gone forever. If you want to learn more about how ISS works or just want to know how astronauts spend their time in space, check out NASA’s Space Station Science Operations webpage. There you’ll find information about experiments, schedules and even educational activities for kids. If that isn't enough space for you, don't forget that Google also offers virtual tours of NASA's Johnson Space Center and Kennedy Space Center too! To access ISS through Google Maps Street View, just follow these steps: Open Google Maps (or open up a new tab) Type ISS into Google Search Under Get Directions, click Virtual Tours Click Tour Virtual Space Station with Google Street View (link will not work unless you have street view enabled) Enjoy! To make it easier to browse around without having to zoom in and out constantly, I suggest using Chrome so that you can use its built-in mouse wheel scroll feature. This makes it easy to navigate within your browser without needing to touch your keyboard. Happy exploring! Title: Now You Can Visit the International Space Station Without Leaving Earth!
Attractions outside of ISS
While you’re outside of ISS and Google Maps, here are some other important locations to visit. The launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Home to Apollo moon launches (the first manned lunar landing mission happened there) and space shuttle missions, it was also used for space shuttles return flights from ISS. Downtown Houston, Texas: Most of NASA’s manned space flight centers are in Houston (like Johnson Space Center). It’s also a place filled with astronaut life activities like space industry workshops, astronaut training programs and large space food markets where you can buy zero gravity ice cream.
Packing for your visit
Make sure you have all your belongings organized in advance. If you plan to visit a particular scientist, astronaut or engineer while on board, let that person know ahead of time so he or she can be expecting you. We recommend taking along at least one camera (if you don’t already have one, bring it) for snapping photos of your experience on board and of course putting yourself into space virtually via Google Maps Street View. Have fun! It is an exciting experience to say the least. And who knows? Maybe after touring space virtually, you'll want to go see it for real too! You're now ready to enter space virtually: Follow these steps below and you will find yourself aboard ISS within minutes. When searching for ISS on Google Maps, use the Satellite view first to help locate it from above. Then switch over to Map view so you can get a street-level perspective of where ISS is located relative to other landmarks in space (like planets). Clicking down once will zoom out; clicking again will take you back up closer to space. Now simply walk around ISS by clicking your mouse or tapping with your finger until you've completed your virtual tour!
Travelling on board ISS
On board ISS there is no heavy gravity that we all feel on our home planet. Astronauts are floating around everywhere. They can eat, sleep, work and exercise with no gravity. They can look out of window and watch passing stars in space from there, too. That is what astronaut’s life is like in space station. Let us see how you experience international space station (ISS) virtually via Google Maps street view.