How do I prepare for a mission

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• How do I prepare for a mission?

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Important concepts to learn

• SMOC pages vs. Practice SMOC pages
• Login and password
• Test Codewords
• The different elements of the Practice SMOC Pages

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SMOC vs. Practice SMOC

• The SMOC (Student Mission Operations Center)
  pages are what your school will use to request
  and receive photos during the mission.
• The Practice SMOC pages are what your school will
  use to practice requesting photos for the
  mission- you will not receive any photos from the
  Practice SMOC pages.

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Login and Password

• Shortly after you register for a mission, EK-Help
  will send you a login and password for your
  school. For example
• login school password PassWrD4
• Note that both the login and password are case
  sensitive!
• You will use this login information for both the
  test site and the real SMOC pages used during
  missions.
• If you forget your login or password, email
  EK-Help and well remind you!

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Test Codewords

• What is a test codeword?
• A test codeword is essentially the password you
  use to request a photo on the practice photo
  entry page.
• Example test0000
• You will receive at least 20 test codewords at
  the same time you get your login and password.
  Use these on the practice site only- you will
  receive real codewords for the mission later.
• You can reuse these test codewords as many times
  as you like.

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Mission Practice Pages

• Now that you have successfully registered for a
  mission, you can practice taking photos.
• www.earthkam.ucsd.edu83
• This site will take you to the Practice SMOC
  pages where you can begin your training. When you
  go to the website, you will be asked to enter a
  login and password. Enter the one that EK-Help
  sent you- otherwise you will not be able to login!

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What is the difference between the Practice Pages
and the real SMOC pages?

• There is not much difference at all. We tried to
  design the Practice SMOC to be as much like the
  actual SMOC as possible. There are only two real
  differences between them
• You can only take real pictures on the actual
  SMOC pages.
• The SMOC status page changes constantly, whereas
  the Practice SMOC does not.

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Welcome to the Mission Practice Page
(www.earthkam.ucsd.edu83)

• After you enter your login and password, read the
  welcome message. You will be using this site to
  practice for the upcoming mission- you will NOT
  use this site for the actual mission!
• Above the arrow is the sidebar, where you will
  have access to all the Practice Site pages.

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Practice Status Page

• On this page, there is extremely important
  information about the orbits and deadlines.
• Because this is the practice site, the status
  page will not change. This is to get you
  comfortable with the orbits and deadlines.
  Without this knowledge, there is a good chance
  your photos will not be taken.

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Orbits and Deadlines

• Each orbit of the International Space Station is
  clearly labeled with a number on both the status
  page and on the map page. Along with each orbit
  comes a deadline (only shown on the status page).
• You must submit a photo request for that orbit
  before the deadline. Otherwise, your photo will
  not be taken.
• All deadlines are based on GMT (Greenwich Mean
  Time).

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Greenwich Mean Time

• It is recommended during the mission to always
  have the GMT time visible so no deadlines are
  missed!
• To get the current GMT time, go to
• http//www.greenwichmeantime.com/
• To get more information on why we use GMT, go to
• http//www.earthkam.ucsd.edu/public/educators/miss
  ionresources/IssGMT.shtml

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Practice Groundtrack Maps

• Here, you can print out maps of the upcoming
  orbits in either black and white or color.
• The usage of these maps is completely up to you-
  they are not required for the mission.
• You can use these maps to track the orbits
  manually, instead of looking on the map page.
• Your students can also gain an insight into
  orbital mechanics and mapping skills. For ideas,
  go to
• http//www.earthkam.ucsd.edu/public/students/resou
  rces/mapskills.shtml

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Practice Map Page

• This is your main tool for requesting photos.
• Propagate Orbits
• Select which orbits you would like to see, but
  keep in mind when the deadlines are for each
  orbit.
• Zoom in and pan left or right to get close to the
  area you wish to take a picture of.
• You can only take photos during the day, which is
  signified by the red orbit lines. Any photos
  requested at night (blue orbit lines) will not be
  successful.
• Note that the orbits for the mission will be
  different than the ones on the practice page! The
  orbits of the International Space Station changes
  every mission.

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Practice Map Page

• Once you have zoomed in on an area, click on
  Select Lat/Lon and then click on the point
  where you want your photo to be taken. EarthKAM
  will find the closest photo opportunity to the
  point that you clicked. You will see the
  following information in the Selected Point box
• Orbit number
• Latitude
• Longitude
• GMT
• Distance Off Track
• Descending Node
• You will only need the orbit number, latitude,
  longitude and GMT to submit your photo request on
  the Photo Entry page.

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Practice Map Page

• You can also manually type in the latitude and
  longitude of a point to determine any photo
  opportunities.
• This is especially useful if teaching mapping
  skills and orbital mechanics.

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Weather

• Want to minimize cloud coverage in your pictures?
  Take a picture of a hurricane or a tropical
  storm? This page will help you with all your
  weather watching needs. Browse the websites given
  and get comfortable with them- they could prove
  to be very useful during the mission.

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Practice Photo Entry

• Now that you have all the information for your
  photo, you can submit a request.
• Enter a TEST codeword in the space provided.
• Dont forget, these test codewords are reusable!
• Helpful Hint if your test codeword does not
  work, try copying and pasting the codeword from
  the email EK-Help sent you where the test
  codewords are listed. If you continue to have
  problems, dont hesitate to contact EK-Help.

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Practice Photo Entry Data

• Using the information you gathered from the map
  page, enter the following information into the
  spaces provided
• Orbit number
• Latitude (Northern or Southern Hemisphere)
• Longitude (Eastern or Western Hemisphere)
• GMT
• Location
• Reason and Description
• Always input the location of your photos- it
  helps us place them into the datasystem later.
• Once youre done, click Send Photo Selection
  and your request is on its way to the
  International Space Station!

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Practice Photo List

• This is the page to use when you wish to view
  your photos (or for the practice site, check if
  your photo request was successful)
• Under the Control Panel, fill in all needed
  information and click view.
• For the practice site, the flight will be
  eksmoc
• If you need help with the status code or the
  error codes, click on the sites listed at the
  bottom of the page. The status codes will tell
  you the status of your pictures and the error
  codes will tell you what went wrong with your
  picture if it was not submitted successfully.

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Mission FAQ

• If you have any questions regarding the mission
  or the practice site, the FAQ list is always in
  the side panel for a quick reference.
• If your question is not in the FAQ list, contact
  EK-Help.

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Special Opportunities

• Check these websites to see any kind of natural
  disaster occurring during the mission. Take a
  picture of it if you can!
• You can also use these websites for classroom
  activities.

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Good Luck!

• Frequently asked questions about EarthKAM can be
  found at
• http//www.earthkam.ucsd.edu/public/educators/faq/
  index.shtml
• Additional instructions on how to submit photos
  can be found at
• http//www.earthkam.ucsd.edu/public/educators/miss
  ionresources/smochelp/instructions.shtml
• As always, if you need any help, dont hesitate
  to email EK-Help at
• ek-help_at_earthkam.ucsd.edu

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• For more information on an actual ISS EarthKAM
  mission, see Tutorial 3 Mission Tips

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