321 LAUNCH app: What it is and why you need it
321 LAUNCH app uses augmented reality to enhance rocket launch experience.
Emre Kelly- 321 LAUNCH app is presented by USA TODAY and FLORIDA TODAY
- You can use the app 2 ways: for live launches and launch simulations
Update: Download the app for iPhone and iPad here. Android version available here.
Want to experience a rocket launch in a whole new way?
Download 321 LAUNCH, a free app for i0S and Android that uses augmented reality to bring you right up to the action of a live launch. Created by teams from FLORIDA TODAY and USA TODAY, the app is available in Apple and Google app stores.
The app leverages cameras available in smartphones and tablets to pull in a live feed of your surroundings while dropping spaceflight hardware – in this case, launch pads at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station – on any flat surface. Tables, floors, books, even a pizza – as long as it's flat, the app will render high-definition 3D models of launch pads and a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket or United Launch Alliance Atlas V so you can learn, explore and, ultimately, follow live as a mission lifts off from the Space Coast.
The first section of the app is an educational experience that runs through the pre-launch procedures and allows you to build a Falcon 9, drag it out to Launch Complex 40, learn about the hardware and launch it on a mission to the International Space Station. After liftoff, the experience shifts focus to landing the booster back at Cape Canaveral.
The second – and the core component – of 321 LAUNCH is an augmented reality-powered live experience that will only occur on launch days. You'll be able to follow live as SpaceX and ULA teams count down to launch, all while staying tuned into:
- Live text updates from FLORIDA TODAY space reporters.
- Live video: Either ours viewing the pad or SpaceX or ULA webcasts.
- Live telemetry data to include altitude and speed after liftoff.
- And, using cutting-edge GPS and compass mapping technology, a projection of the actual flightpath over your sky.
And more is still to come as we continue to add to the app experience.
Why you need it:
When you move your device to get a close-up view of the launch complex and rocket, you're using cutting-edge AR technology to do something no other app currently does.
And I can almost guarantee that everyone will learn at least a thing or two from the educational experience.
Keep in mind:
You'll need a newer device to pull this off.
Contact Kelly at 321-242-3715 or aekelly@floridatoday.com