NASA's Spot the International Station is Now an App–Here's What You Need to Know

There is a new app from NASA that can help the old-timers and newbies in spotting things in the orbit, particularly, the International Space Station where exactly its location is, and more to learn about it. This latest experience from NASA is called Spot the Space Station, and it will help the users learn more about the ISS' location and when it is best to look for it in the sky.

The app may also be set to send push notifications for users when the space station is approaching one's location and be able to wave towards the ISS when it passes by.

NASA: Spot the Space Station is Now an App

NASA's Spot the Station website is now upgraded into an app that was made available to iOS via the Apple App Store and Android via Google Play, centering on its offers to bring the public more information about the ISS. For a long time, the website has given curious users a chance to learn more about the orbiting space station and what it has to offer the world.

"The Spot the Station mobile app is designed to notify users when the space station is visible overhead from their location," said NASA. "It aims to broaden access and awareness of the station and NASA globally, by providing users with an opportunity to experience the wonder of the space station firsthand."

Here's What the New NASA App Brings

First off, it offers users 2D and 3D real-time location views of the ISS, alongside upcoming sighting lists that also offer visibility data.

NASA also included an AR (augmented reality) view that bundles in a compass and trajectory lines in the camera view. There is also updated information right on the app for everything about the space station's resources and the posts on its blog post.

Lastly, it offers push notifications for when the ISS is approaching one's location.

The International Space Station

One of the main focuses of the International Space Station is being a hub of learning and information which it shares with the different organizations that have astronauts, cosmonauts, and stakes in the operation. NASA also has different projects where it connects its astronauts to students who partner with the space agency in streaming live calls, done before for students in Texas and Georgia.

However, the ISS is old and is in dire need of an upgrade or change, something which NASA and other companies have been looking to develop in time for its 2030 farewell and re-entry where it will land on the Pacific ocean. It was also found in previous studies that it is contaminated with disturbing levels of harmful chemicals, requiring many repairs in different modules and parts.

The first and only sovereign space station in orbit is now 25 years old, but it will continue to see its operations until the next decade for the world to benefit from what it learns. Now, the new app from NASA, Spot the Space Station, is offering the world a chance to learn more about the International Space Station and spot it better when it passes by, with their phones giving them the notice of it.