AstroPulse

Inspiration

AstroPulse was inspired by a question that often goes overlooked: how do astronauts know when it's safe to step outside the spacecraft? With spacewalk safety heavily dependent on real-time solar and geomagnetic activity, I aimed to create a platform that makes this data both accessible and understandable to the public.

What it does

AstroPulse is a real-time space weather dashboard that pulls live data from NASA and NOAA APIs. It displays key indicators like the Kp Index, solar wind speed, solar flare activity, and the ISS’s current position. The app includes an “Explore” mode for live tracking and a “Learn” mode that teaches users what each space weather factor means and why it matters.

How we built it

I built AstroPulse using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I connected it to live data from NASA and NOAA APIs and used Leaflet.js to map the ISS. I designed it to update in real time and made sure each tab works smoothly, whether users are checking data or learning about it.

Challenges we ran into

One big challenge was working with multiple APIs that had inconsistent formats and sometimes missing data. It was also tricky to keep everything updating live without bugs or lag. Making sure the interface stayed clean and responsive while fetching lots of data took some serious debugging.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I'm proud that AstroPulse isn’t just a dashboard but also a learning tool. Every data point comes from trusted scientific sources, and I made sure it looks clean and works in real time. Building something both useful and educational was my main goal, and I feel like I achieved that.

What we learned

I learned how to handle real-world API data, parse complex JSON structures, and design a responsive user experience. I also learned a lot about space weather itself, like how solar flares and magnetic storms directly impact astronaut safety.

What's next for AstroPulse

Next, I want to add spacewalk safety alerts, expand the learning section, and maybe bring back a predictive model once I can make it more stable and useful. Eventually, I’d love to make AstroPulse available offline so it could even help in real mission settings.

Built With

• css
• html
• http-server
• javascript
• javascript-fetch-api
• leaflet.js
• nasa-donki-api
• noaa-space-weather-api