Watch Live-Stream of Shuttle Launch on your PlayStation

By Nancy Atkinson - February 23, 2011 at 8:36 PM UTC | Space Exploration
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Get a dose of reality via Sony's PlayStation gaming system. The final liftoff of space shuttle Discovery on February 24, 2011 at 4:50 pm EST will be the first live streaming event to be offered by PlayStationHome, the social gaming networking service, and provide a unique "social viewing" environment.

"We're excited about this new way for people to experience the exhilaration of human spaceflight as part of a larger community," said David Weaver, NASA associate administrator for the Office of Communications. "In addition to the other two shuttle launches planned for April and June, NASA looks forward to sharing more of our endeavors with PlayStation users."

The event is offered by Sunset Yacht, a premium personal space from LOOT, Sony DADC's interactive entertainment development team. Users will be able to chat via Bluetooth headsets with others watching the launch - all from inside the PlayStation Home social gaming environment.

In addition to live streamed events, the Sunset Yacht's NASA TV channel will offer hundreds of videos offering spectacular views of the universe from past and current NASA missions. A gallery of podcasts showcasing several missions including the Mars Science Laboratory and Voyager spacecraft also will be available from the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

"The launch of the space shuttle Discovery provides a wonderful opportunity to introduce people to the fun of social viewing," said LOOT Managing Director David Sterling. "Users can share this experience with their friends, regardless of where those friends happen to be in the world."

More info on the PlayStation Blog.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com