Blast Off Your Knowledge With AstroApp: Space Shuttle Crew

When you first open the app, the “Home” page scrolls through a variety of pictures from different Space Shuttle missions. The music is beautiful and sounds a lot like a film score as it scrolls through the images which are shown with the Ken Burns effect.

You can browse the different astronauts by either last name or shuttle mission. Most astronauts have a full size picture, a brief summary followed by a full biography. Some of the astronauts had incomplete information, and only included a photo. I personally enjoyed reading more about the seven astronauts on the 1986 Challenger Mission, “The Lost Crew.”

The final feature in this app includes the opportunity for you to suit up as an astronaut by uploading your own picture. You can create a photo with the provided template. Your personal photo can be sized within the helmet to give a realistic look. If you want to save the photo, it is placed in the photo app on your device.

Hence the name, AstroApp: Space Shuttle Crew only covers the astronauts from shuttle missions. I would love to see this app expand into all of NASA’s missions, including the early ones in the 1960’s. It would be nice to read more about Neil Armstrong or Alan Shephard.

I personally think this app is a great resource. I have always been fascinated with NASA and even wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid. Even today I am a “backyard” astronomer, so AstroApp: Space Shuttle Crew will continue to be one of my favorite reference apps. As the shuttle mission come to a close, this will be a nice app to reminisce about days gone by in the US space program. If you enjoyed following all the Space Shuttle missions and crew, AstroApp: Space Shuttle Crew is definitely for you. Best of all, there is no cost to find out, because the app is free!