New from NASA, an iPhone application

October 23, 2009

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The new iPhone 3Gs is displayed at an Apple store in June 2009 in San Francisco, California. The US space agency announced on Friday that it has created a free NASA application for the popular Apple smartphone and the iPod Touch.

NASA is coming to the iPhone. The US space agency announced on Friday that it has created a free NASA application for the popular Apple smartphone and the iPod Touch.

A NASA App for the iPhone and iPod touch is available free of charge at the App Store from Apple. The NASA application will deliver a wealth of information, videos, images and news updates about NASA missions to people's fingertips.

"Making NASA more accessible to the public is a high priority for the agency," said Gale Allen, director of Strategic Integration and Management for NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate in Washington. "Tools like this allow us to provide users easy access to NASA information and progress at a fast pace."

The NASA App collects, customizes and delivers an extensive selection of dynamically updated information, images and videos from various online NASA sources. Users can access NASA countdown clocks, the NASA Image of the Day, Astronomy Image of the Day, online videos, NASA's many Twitter feeds and other information in a convenient mobile package. It delivers NASA content in a clear and intuitive way by making full use of the iPhone and iPod touch features, including the Multi-Touch user interface. The New Media Team at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., developed the application.

The NASA App also allows users to track the current positions of the International Space Station and other spacecraft currently orbiting Earth in three views: a map with borders and labels, visible satellite imagery, or satellite overlaid with country borders and labels.

"We're excited to deliver a wide range of up-to-the-minute NASA content to iPhone and iPod touch users," said Gary Martin, director of the New Ventures and Communications Directorate at Ames. "The NASA App provides an easy and interesting way for the public to experience space exploration."

More information: For more information about NASA's iPhone application, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/iphone

Provided by NASA

• danman5000 - Oct 23, 2009
  • Rank: 1 / 5 (1)

  NASA said the application, available through the Apple App Store, provides "information, videos, images and news updates about NASA missions."

  
  Cool, now I can more easily read about all the programs they are canceling and the opportunities we get to miss out on.
  

  Users, for example, can track the International Space Station and other spacecraft orbiting the Earth and access NASA countdown clocks, NASA said.

  
  Until they crash it into the ocean in 5 years.
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• Birthmark - Oct 23, 2009
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  The NASA App also allows users to track the current positions of the International Space Station and other spacecraft currently orbiting Earth in three views: a map with borders and labels, visible satellite imagery, or satellite overlaid with country borders and labels.

  
  That's a neat aspect of it.
  
  By the way just downloaded it :D
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• ruebi - Oct 24, 2009
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  I wouldn't mind seeing this app with the ability to identify constellations. Either through the camera or GPS and accelerometer or gyroscope(device positioning thing). Does it update your calender with moon cycles or upcoming local events like the Perseid Shower? What would also be great from the science community is some kind of species identifier. Trees, plants, animals, insects or anything else you can think of.
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