The International Space Station (ISS) has become the first "off planet" addition to Google Maps' Street View facility.

Astronauts helped capture 360-degree panoramas of the insides of the ISS modules, as well as views down to the earth below, the BBC reported. Some of the photography features pop-up text descriptions, marking the first time such annotations have appeared on the Maps platform, it said.

One of the benefits of Google's technology is that it should give members of the public an improved sense of freedom of movement and a greater choice of viewpoints than had been possible before.

The tech giant said it hoped to inspire the public to further explore the science and engineering involved in space exploratio

Source: Khaleej Times