In the last post, I linked to a Windows application that generates KML for orbits of satellites. Somehow, this wasn’t satisfactory — it’s a Windows application, so this means it won’t be of use to me when I eventually get to run Google Earth on my Mac.
I came up with another solution, and it involves sitting on the shoulders of Tom Mangan, who created this excellent Google Maps mashup with the positions of both the Space Shuttle and ISS. He wrote some code that periodically scrapes NASA websites for the live coordinates. He was kind enough to lend it to me.
I used PHP to parse the results of Tom’s servlet and wrap it inside valid KML, on the fly. I tweaked the KML so that a line extrudes from the surface of the Earth to the spaceship itself. This gives a good sense of how far up the spaceship is, especially if you’re looking at it from afar. The positions are automatically updated once a minute.
Here is the network link as a KMZ file, ready to launch with Google Earth.
Unfortunately, I did not figure out a way to get Google Earth to fly along with the spaceships, so you’ll have to do some manual maneuvering. Also, if you ask Google to swoosh in on a placemarker suspended 300km above Earth, it instead zooms in on the spot directly beneath it. I suspect this is a bug, as that is the effect I would expect if the placemarker were located on the surface of the Earth, rather than above it.
Then again, I might be wrong, as I am checking this via VirtualPC on my Mac, where the refresh rate of the image is about half a hertz. (Then again, it’s not like I’m trying to play Halo2).
Hi, I found you ;-)
This KML is great and what I want… let me introduce this to my friends back in Japan…
Thanks!
Shuttle Discovery Backflip
There was a really cool video I saw on the news the other day of the Space Shuttle Discovery form the other day. Before docking with the international space station, the Shuttle did a full backflip in order for the ISS to take photos of the underside…
The for Space Shuttle Kames to Bain.
Shuttle Discovery Backflip background
There is some slightly out-of-focus scenery in this hi-res image taken during the backflip maneuver. Looks a bit like some rural area in Britain.
Is there a nifty bit of software that is able to identify a bird’s-eye-view pic, searching GE image data?
CAN ANYONE TELL ME IS THERE A FREQUENCY WE CAN LISTEN OUT FOR THE SHUUTLE DOWNLINK AND TIMES TO LISTEN MANY THANKS
Thanks for the great work!! I was hoping this might appear in Celestia as the ISS and SpaceShuttle 3D models are there. Maybe this was happing this on this mission I’ll have to check.
Anyway thanks again, this will help me in so many ways!!! KPR
hi this is a science project i have to do. What the profect is is for me to look at a vertial spaceship land where ever i want it to! and i was told that i Had to dowload a certain thing which i dont know about so i was wondering if you could help me please it is a very important report that i have to get done! and when i click on the KMZ file it downloaded but did not do anything so please help me or anyone else!!!!
To listen to the downlink go to 145.800Mhz FM