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Forging Connections

17. ISS-Above


Raspberry PI board.

2021. Donated to the collection by Liam Kennedy.



In its earliest form, the ISS-Above was a simple Raspberry PI computer like this one which flashed whenever the International Space Station (ISS) was ‘making a pass’—flying overhead. When connected to a screen, this device not only displays information about the current crew aboard the space station and the times of upcoming passes, but it also beams live feed of Earth views from the ISS as it travels around the world. Each orbit takes approximately 90 minutes to complete.




The ISS-Above creates an emotive, cognitive link between the crew aboard the ISS and people down on Earth looking up. Astronauts’ partners have used these to feel connected to their loved ones during missions, and they are often used in schools to teach about space activities. The photo displayed here shows chairs pulled around an ISS-Above by school janitors, who were watching the Earth views during their overnight shift. 


Forging Connections