• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, March 13, 2014

With renewed interest in the cosmos, National Geographic Channel and its ad shop Mullen, part of Interpublic Group have collaborated on a new Web site called Live From Space  that is synced to the International Space Station.

The space station circles the globe every 90 minutes, moving at more 17,000 miles per hour. Live From Space provides a celestial view of the earth, approximating the ISS astronauts' view-out-the-window some 260 miles above the planet. 

At the same time, with some help from YouTube, iTunes and Foursquare, the site will provide data on what's trending globally on the ground in real-time directly below the Space Station, in categories such as music, food, video, conversations, languages and events.

For example, users can check to see top trending videos in the Ukraine; what kind of Foursquare places people check-in to in Iran and the top-10 iTunes charts in Tajikistan. 

Nat Geo will broadcast a program Friday night, also called "Live From Space."  Part of the effort includes a social campaign, #HelloFromEarth. During the broadcast, viewers can ask ISS astronauts questions via #HelloFromEarth. There is also an Instagram tie-in. 

The debut of the new Web site follows by a week the launch of new series Cosmos, the Fox/National Geographic Channel reboot of the PBS classic of the same name that was hosted by the late Carl Sagan.