AstroApp:SSC First In A Series From NASA?
April 22, 2011
Just released to commemorate Space Shuttle Endeavor's final launch and the sweeping changes in store for NASA as its shuttle program ends a 30-year run, AstroApp: Space Shuttle Crew lands on iTunes to catalog each crew member involved over the decades. Every member of all 133 missions is included, some with his or her bio behind a card-like NASA portrait. Perplexingly, mission data shows up on the reverse of some astronauts' pictures, replacing information about the individual. Perhaps an update will remedy this and place mission data in its own category.
For the kids, NASA's target audience here, there's a bonus "Suit Up" section allowing the user to upload any photo off any iDevice (the app is universal) and insert it into an astronaut mask. It works, but anyone used to the editing controls in something like Oldbooth will be disappointed. The ability to flip the image to make it fit the suit's orientation would be nice, but otherwise it's simple for simplicity's sake. Children will have fun with it, making astronauts out of Mom and Dad and the family pet.
Everything else aside, the feature I would most like to see added is a mission logo gallery. The (non-essential) lengths NASA went to in crafting each mission a unique badge is fascinating, and there's lots of Golden Era sci-fi paperback art in there. With the app now, you get to see them beside each mission's list, but you can't enlarge or view them in detail.
In true NASA fashion, there are some software bugs here. Dramatic background music isn't always mutable by the in-app toggle, and some personnel/mission data is missing entirely. The app was clearly rushed to coincide with the impending shuttle launch. It is of note mainly for what it represents and may usher in, as a series of AstroApp: releases could be interesting.
Food for thought: In the late 1990's, I recall reading an official statistic tagging each shuttle launch with a monetary cost of just under USD 3 billion. Across 133 missions, that's nearly USD 400 billion, so pick this thing up while it's still free!
AstroApp: Space Shuttle Crew is available free now, for a limited time.
