ISSTracker is a free tool for educational purposes that allows people to see where the the International Space Station is in real-time. I hope that educators around the world find this site an indispensable resource. I will continue to expand this site as rolls in.
What you are looking at:
Left Map: Plotted course for 3 rotations. It begins with a previous rotation and is followed by the current rotation and 1 rotation in the future. It can be difficult to follow a path when it wraps from the right to the left side. You can follow these rotations from the darkest to lightest paths.
Center Map: Geo-Political map. The default zoom level is set to show the region on Earth that the International Space Station (ISS) is visible from. This map will also keep itself centered on the location of the ISS no matter the zoom setting.
Right Map: Satellite image of the Earth.
The Altitude and Velocity have been calibrated for optimal visibility. It would be highly difficult to view the moment to moment changes that occur to either if they were set to begin at zero and ended after their normal maximum values. Of an interesting note, the ISS will continue to always be within these ranges until an orbit change is initiated.
The image on the Longitude chart will not adjust when the ISS is on the southern hemisphere.
How It Works:
The prediction code requires a set of data that is called a "2-line element". This file is essentially a rigidly structured set of data that provides the needed Keplerian Elements that are needed to calculate the location of an object in orbit. NASA and several other organizations provide regularly updated copies of this data.
From this point the results are pulled from the prediction engine and pushed into the various maps and charts on the site.
Interested in contributing content or assisting in extending this site please me.