Space, Chrome and the amazing journey of the ISEE-3

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.

The experience will build up to a live event this Sunday, August 10, when the ISEE-3 will fly by the Moon for the first time in decades. We’ll document every second with a live lunar flyby demo, and we’re inviting the entire world to join in. You can follow the spacecraft’s trajectory real-time, along with interviews with the Reboot team, visits from the original ISEE-3 Flight Director, and live data measurements coming directly from space!

Explore the journey of this decorated spacecraft and join us live from the control room on Sunday, August 10 at 10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET.

Suzanne Chambers, Executive Producer & Space Cadet, Creative Lab New York