Lesson 2: Time & Timestamps

In space missions, precise timing is critical. The ISS provides a timestamp with every coordinate reading. We need to be able to parse this time and use it for scheduling and analysis.

Session Goals

Understand Unix Timestamps.
Convert timestamps to readable Date/Time objects.
Extract specific time components (Hour, Minute, Second).
Calculate time intervals.

The Mission Task

We need to synchronize our instruments. Your task is to read the timestamp from the ISS, convert it into a human-readable format, and perform logic based on the specific time of the reading.

Key Concepts

Unix Timestamp: A way to track time as a running total of seconds. This count starts at the Unix Epoch on January 1st, 1970 at UTC.
Datetime Object: A Python object that represents a specific date and time, allowing us to easily extract year, month, day, hour, etc.
Modulo Operator (%): Returns the remainder of a division. Useful for finding even/odd numbers or cycling through values.
Example: 5 % 2 is 1.

Mission Challenge: Time Filter

Objective: Execute logic based on the precise second of the reading.

Instructions:

Use the date_obj variable created in the example.
Extract the second from this object.
Use an if/else statement with the modulo operator (%) to check if the second is even or odd.
Print "Even Second" if it is even, and "Odd Second" if it is odd.

Orbit (ISS Tracker)

Provides real-time (simulated) coordinate data for the International Space Station.

from astro_pi_orbit import ISS

Usage	Description
iss = ISS()	Initialize the ISS tracker.
iss.get_coordinates()	Returns a dictionary with latitude, longitude, altitude, and timestamp.

Datetime

Standard Python library for handling dates and times.

from datetime import datetime, timedelta

Usage	Description
datetime.fromtimestamp(ts)	Converts a Unix timestamp (seconds) into a readable date object.
datetime.now()	Returns the current local date and time.
timedelta(seconds=x)	Represents a duration of time (e.g., 5 seconds).

Mission Control Interface

Output Terminal

Ready to execute...