IPFS News Link • Space Travel and Exploration
See the Secretive X-37B Space Plane in Orbit with Phone App
• SPACE.com StaffSeasoned skywatchers in North American may have several chances to spot the U.S. Air Force's secretive X-37B space plane fly overhead with the help of a smart phone app that helps track satellites.
The Simple Satellite Tracker app gives a one-week advance schedule of flybys, and also alerts users to when spacecraft will appear with a countdown clock and a direction guide.
This week, the robotic X-37B
space plane and the International Space Station are expected to make a
series of good passes over some North American cities and towns, according to
Tony Phillips of the website Spaceweather.com, which offers the app for the
iPhone and Android phones.
Other app features include using GPS to find the user's location, flyby alarms that the user can set, and detailed information about each tracked object.
The reusable X-37B launched on April 22 aboard an Atlas 5 tocket, and has the capability to stay up in orbit for around 270 days, Air Force officials have said.
