Most of us — okay, nearly all of us — will never have the opportunity to set foot inside the International Space Station. The multi-billion-dollar floating laboratory and astronaut bed and breakfast is a pretty exclusive destination, and unless you’re ready to dedicate your life to science and spend decades in pursuit of that ultimate goal, the closest you’re ever going to get is Google’s new Street View ISS hub, but that’s still pretty cool.
Google’s Street View was invented as a slick, convenient tool to make finding destinations in unfamiliar areas a bit easier, but it quickly became apparent that its ability to virtually transport users to new locations and allow them to explore was more than just an attractive bonus feature. This newest addition allows you to actually navigate your own path through the ISS, moving from module to module with a full 360-degree view of your surroundings.
The first thing you’ll notice about the interior of the space station is the sheer amount of equipment strapped to every square foot of the walls. Every tube, knob, and lever has a purpose, and over the nearly two decades of its stay in Earth’s atmosphere it has constantly been in a constant state of upgrade, remodeling, and repair. The result is a living space and research center that packed from end to end with all manner of gadgets and gear. If you have a spare moment, it’s definitely worth a brief virtual trip to check it out.
