Unless you’re a rocket scientist, you’ve probably never heard the story of the International Sun/Earth Explorer 3 (ISEE-3) – yet it has had one of the most fascinating journeys in all of space flight. Originally launched in 1978 to study the Sun, it was the first spacecraft in the world to fly by a comet and has been orbiting the sun for billions of miles since 1986. Now, the ISEE-3 is headed back towards Earth and is on its way to becoming the first citizen science spacecraft thanks to a crowdfunded effort called The ISEE-3: Reboot Project.
There’s also a new way for everyone to get involved. In a new Chrome Experiment called A Spacecraft for All, you can follow the unlikely odyssey of the ISEE-3 using Chrome’s interactive WebGL graphics and video. You can re-live its story, read its re-activated data instruments, learn about its current position and trajectory—and explore space along the way. It’s all designed to make space science simple, fun and accessible enough for anyone eager to learn—whether you’re a Ph.D. or grade school student.
Source Chrome Blog
