People in Space Screensaver
The People in Space screensaver is a live roster of every human currently in space — their names and which station they're aboard — from the open People-in-Space data, gathered by the pipeline. It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
How the People in Space screensaver works
A background pipeline reads the open People-in-Space data, the running count of everyone currently off the planet.
The saver shows the total, then lists each astronaut and cosmonaut by name, grouped by their spacecraft.
Most are aboard the International Space Station, with others on China's Tiangong station.
A slow starfield drifts behind, and the roster updates as crews launch and return.
A worked example
The headline reads 12 PEOPLE IN SPACE, then the names scroll by grouped by craft — the ISS expedition crew together, the Tiangong taikonauts below — the list changing only when a capsule docks or comes home.
Settings & tips
- Accent recolours the roster highlights.
- Background sets the space backdrop.
- Run
automation/run.py spaceon your pipeline machine to refresh the crew list.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the list current?
- Yes. It comes from the open People-in-Space data, refreshed by the pipeline, so it reflects who's actually in orbit now.
- Why does it use a pipeline?
- The source is served over plain HTTP, which a secure site can't read directly, so a small background script fetches it and saves a snapshot.
- How often does it change?
- Only when crews launch or land — typically every few weeks — so the roster is stable between missions.
- Which stations are counted?
- Everyone in orbit, mainly the International Space Station and China's Tiangong station.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free, no download, in your browser.