NASA's Application for iPhone and iPod Touch

By: Dennis Rayburn
11/11/2009

If you own an iPhone, or iPod Touch, you are aware that there are hundreds of applications available for download to use on your device covering a world of different interests. If you are like me, and want to keep up with the activities at NASA, I'm pleased to say there is a very good application for you. This application was created by NASA and combines a lot of Internet resources that NASA uses into one handy program.

When you open the application, you come to the Missions screen, which highlights the different manned and unmanned missions ongoing currently. After you select the mission in which you are interested, you go from the main screen to a page that contains the latest on the mission and an overview of the mission. At this time, the different missions you can study are the new Constellation program, the International Space Station, LCROSS, LRO, the Mars Rovers, Mars Express, Mars Odyssey, and of course, the latest on the Space Shuttle.

From the program overview screen, you get a choice of four options for each mission. The first automatically gets you the latest news that has been sent out over Twitter. The second is a collection of still photos, the third is a collection of videos, and the final one is an option where you can email something you find on the application to a friend.

The application is a very excellent one and is great for keeping up with space exploration. You can check out photos, watch a video of a portion of the mission, or read the latest news. All of this in one handy application for your iPhone or iPod Touch.

There is only one fault with the program that I can find. When a mission ends, the time elapsed clock keeps going. For example, the recent Ares 1-X test launch that occurred at the end of last month. While the mission was over in minutes, the clock is still counting elapsed time. That is the only problem I found and it's more of an annoyance than a problem.

Overall, this program is a must for for those who enjoy learning about space exploration and it comes with no charge for downloading or running it. You can't beat this deal. You can find the application in the iTunes App Store.

See you next time!

Photos:  NASA.gov

Author: Dennis Rayburn

Dennis Rayburn is a columnist for Roddenberry.com. His column, "Two Strips of Latinum" appears every Sunday through Thursday.
Contact: drayburn@roddenberry.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/drayburn
Grab the Roddenberry News Feed

1 Response

Leave a Reply