Atlantis has been refurbished. Check out our interactive space shuttle . It's way cool.

For immediate gratification, or if you're averse to running yet another internet app on your computer, go to the NASA Headquarters sightings page for the ISS and Mir.

SkyWatch 1.2, developed by the Johnson Space Center (JSC), gives sighting times and generates a nifty star map. J-Track, developed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, lists more than 500 satellites and spacecraft and produces a map on your computer screen much like the one in JSC's Mission Control center.

Be patient though -- these programs are processor-intensive and require some time to download if you are using a modem to connect to the internet. You'll need a Java-capable browser and a bit of time if you're not running one of the newer processors. Both programs offer a lot of features, so it may be worthwhile to read the instructions.

For those, who want to do their own calculations or have their own tracking program, JSC offers up orbital vectors for Atlantis, the ISS and Mir.

Marshall Space Flight Center -- J-Track

J-Track is great fun to play with. It's a wonderful way to while away the time. One cool feature is that you can tell J-Track to send e-mail with sighting information of up to 10 satellites and the shuttle.

The best place to start is the J-Track FAQ that explains the various functions and contains troubleshooting tips.

For a home-based Mission Control look, Internet Explorer 4.0 and higher users can add J-Track to their active desktop.

NASA Headquarters -- ISS and Mir visibility data

More than 3,400 cities are listed on the ISS and Mir viewing charts offered here. Webmaster Jesco von Puttkamer even offers an interesting explanation of how the tracking is performed. From here, you can also download documents related to construction of the ISS and the U.S. involvement aboard Mir.

Johnson Space Center -- Real-time tracking data page