Google Sky, Google Moon, Google Mars

Posted by SpaceSightSeer on April 10, 2009 under Collections, Deep Space Imagery, Manned Spaceflight | Be the First to Comment

Google Sky
Google Moon
Google Mars

From the people who brought us Google Earth come three cool tools for exploring the beyond.

For Google Sky, Google has teamed with observatories and astronomers around the world to put astronomy at the fingertips of the most casual space fan. Find constellations, planets and distant galaxies through a point-and-click interface. Google Sky is an excellent resource for beginning astronomy for circumstances when a star party might not be feasible.

Google Moon uses images taken by Clementine to display a mosaic of lunar landing sites. Visitors can select a specific Apollo landing site and then navigate to features of interest related to that mission. Several have first-person panoramic views simulating the perspective of our explorer astronauts.

Image: NASA

Image: NASA

Google Mars represents the latest addition to the family and uses the same tools found in Google Earth - you can zoom in and out, change the camera view, or spin the entire planet with a click of the mouse. A search box allows you to quickly locate interesting features. Type in the word “face” in the search box, for example, to locate two of the more popular features of the red planet – the “face on Mars” and the “happy face crater.”

There is also an option to “View in 3D with Mars in Google Earth. Through this view, one can apply antique historic maps of Mars or “Live from Mars” streaming from NASA’s Mars Odyssey.

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Apollo - 40 Years (Images from Apollo)

Posted by SpaceSightSeer on March 27, 2009 under Manned Spaceflight | Be the First to Comment

Images from Apollo

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong  took “one small step”  and “a giant leap for mankind.” NASA is commemorating this historic moment with a series of activities throughout the year. Thousands of images along with archival footage have been released in this online gallery.

Apollo 40th Anniversary

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NASA Human Spaceflight Gallery

Posted by SpaceSightSeer on January 17, 2009 under Manned Spaceflight | Read the First Comment

nasa logo

NASA Human Spaceflight Gallery

This site does better with current events over historical photos, though some historical photos are included. NASA has created a system of quick menus to allow the visitor to jump to collections of images organized by mission. The past few years are fairly complete with images from the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle. Older materials are included, but appear to be only selectively included.

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