Monitor the ISS From Your Living Room With This Tiny Device

If you lot desire to feel like an astronaut without leaving Earth, ISS-Above is a Raspberry Pi-based device that calculates where the International Space Station is at all times, displaying its location and a live video feed straight to your Television set, or blinking when the ISS is nearby.

ISS-Above ISS-Above is the brainchild of Liam Kennedy; PCMag met up with him at a contempo gathering of makers and entrepreneurs at Supplyframe DesignLab in Pasadena, California. He was fixated on 2 monitors backside him—one with ISS data feeds, constantly being refreshed, and the other showing a live video feed from the ISS photographic camera as it orbited overhead. The views of Earth were well-baked, glorious, and truly inspiring.

Kennedy was besides wearing a mobile version, indicating the next fourth dimension and location of the ISS passing overhead, and possibly a sign of things to come. He also had a copy of his official, signed Infinite Act Agreement, required by NASA for any outreach partnerships and programs, a nice geek touch.

Liam, accept you always been into computing and space?
When I was growing up in the Uk, in a village most Cambridge, I was doing programming. On the BBC Micro, in fact, I wrote a graphical animation program for the Grundy NewBrain...during the 8-bit era of abode computing. Since then I've been a software developer. I was too just six when the Apollo Ii landed, and I've been space mad always since.

I moved to the United states of america in 1994, with a consulting firm in software development, which got caused by USWeb, then MarchFirst—and so I lived through the dot-com nail, then blindside or bosom, a actually interesting time. I came to California in 1996, and saw cloudless skies for months. I of a sudden had great adoration for early astronomers in the U.k.—similar Sir William Herschel—because I tin can't remember how many clear nights in that location must have been back at that place. It resurfaced my interest in astronomy, and I became the president of Orange Canton Astronomers.

I've been to NASA Johnson Space Centre on many occasions, and I compression myself whenever I get to walk the same hallways equally the astronauts. I'm nigh honored to take friends and contacts who work in many aspects of NASA'southward programs, including some flight controllers who piece of work in Mission Control, Houston. It never ceases to amaze me that I can merely reach out with a question and frequently within minutes get an answer from someone who actually works ON the ISS.

When did the thought for ISS-Above come to you lot?
We did a lot of outreach to the public when I was president of the Orange Canton Astronomers, during the fourth dimension when the ISS was being constructed, in orbit—from 1998 onwards—and then, with the launch of the first crew [on Oct 31, 2000]. Whenever the ISS would be passing past, and was visible, information technology was THE matter that got everyone engaged—we'd be with hundreds of parents and children in a parking lot, doing education outreach programs. That was what gave me the idea to create ISS-Above.

How much does ISS-Above cost, and what do you get for that?
For $147.50, you get: the ISS-Above software, which tracks the ISS; a Raspberry Pi Model 3 in its own transparent case, with ability supply; PiGlow flashing RGB LED display; quick-start guide; [and access to the] website to manage your ISS-Above. For anyone who has a Raspberry Pi, you tin can go...the epitome file for $thirty, and write it to your own 8GB MicroSD carte and be up and running in minutes.

It has obvious appeal for schools, but you said a growing role of your business concern is for corporations; ITEX in Bellevue, Washington broadcasts ISS-In a higher place in its lobby. How many organizations, institutions, and individuals are beaming ISS-Above today?
There are over 1,800 installations of ISS-Above worldwide, including every NASA Center in the U.s.a. and a few with ESA [the European Space Agency]. There are some in space-themed breweries, pubs, and wine bars, and more than 100 schools and science centers in the United states of america. Quite a few teachers tweet photos or messages showing how the ISS-Above has their students get inspired to notice out more virtually the ISS and what humans are getting up to in space. It helps when they realize these astronauts are passing by their school v to viii times every solar day.

It'south our lucky solar day- The ISS is in a higher place united states of america during Discovery Lab! @ISSAboveYou @lsullivan @KWBnagle #kwbpride pic.twitter.com/x39M3AmA2h
— Jessica Idol (@Idol_KWB) June xvi, 2022

Y'all go on to be very engaged in the emerging SpaceEdTech field.
I've had the accolade to present to the public on many topics related to astronomy and space and NASA's mission via my various prior roles every bit president of Orange County Astronomers, NASA/JPL Solar Organisation volunteer ambassador, and Planetarium Lecturer for the Griffith Observatory. At NASA/JPL, in that location are now several ISS-To a higher place devices, mostly used for public outreach by their educators, including a special one hooked up to their campus Goggle box network and fifty-fifty in the Deep Infinite Network control room.

What's next for ISS-Above?
I am currently putting together a grant proposal for formal sponsorship by the ISS U.S. National Laboratory to support 100 schools to get an ISS-Above, combined with a curriculum development and student impact evaluation project. And I'm as well planning a LightSail-Above version, in partnership with The Planetary Society for the launch of their new cubesat on SpaceX'southward second Falcon ix Heavy in late 2022, early 2022.

Anything in the wearables line then one tin can take the ISS-Above wherever one roams?
I am considering a article of clothing due east-ink display version.

Sign us upwards to be a beta tester for that, please.
Yous're on the list (laughs).