      APOD: 2017 July 25 - Int Ball Drone Activated on the Space Station

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                                 2017 July 25
                                      [2]
                Int-Ball Drone Activated on the Space Station
                  Image Credit: JAXA [3] , ISS [4] , NASA [5]

Explanation: What if you were followed around by a cute [6] floating ball that
kept taking your picture? Then you might be an astronaut on today's
International Space Station [7]  (ISS). Designed by the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency [8]  (JAXA), the JEM Internal Ball Camera [9]  --
informally "Int-Ball" -- is a bit larger than a softball [10] , can float and
maneuver by itself but also be controlled remotely, can take high resolution
images and videos, and is not related to Hello Kitty [11] . Int-Ball was
delivered to the ISS [12] in early June and is designed to allow
ground-control to increase the monitoring of ISS [13] equipment and activities
while decreasing time demands on human astronauts [14] . Int-Ball [15] moves
by turning on small internal fans and sees with a camera located between its
two dark eyes.

                  Tomorrow's picture: milky way towers [16]

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [28] (MTU [29] ) & Jerry Bonnell [30]
                                  (UMCP [31] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [32] .
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              A service of: ASD [34]  at NASA [35]  / GSFC [36]
                           & Michigan Tech. U. [37]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1707/ISSdrone_jaxa_4928.jpg
  [3] http://global.jaxa.jp/projects/index.html
  [4] https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
  [5] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawaii
  [7] ap161105.html
  [8] http://global.jaxa.jp/
  [9] http://iss.jaxa.jp/en/kiboexp/news/170714_int_ball_en.html
  [10]
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/80/07/8b/
80078b122d7f88fce60917276dc6750d--softball-skirt.jpg
  [11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello_Kitty
  [12] http://iss.jaxa.jp/en/
  [13] ap151109.html
  [14] ap061225.html
  [15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Int-Ball
  [16] ap170726.html
  [17] ap170724.html
  [18] archivepix.html
  [19] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [20] lib/aptree.html
  [21] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [22] calendar/allyears.html
  [23] /apod.rss
  [24] lib/edlinks.html
  [25] lib/about_apod.html
  [26] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=170725
  [27] ap170726.html
  [28] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [29] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [30] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [31] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [32] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [33] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [34] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [35] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [36] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [37] http://www.mtu.edu/
