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.

Yes — free, no download, in your browser.

Why does the total sometimes jump by several people?

Crews arrive and leave in groups, so a launch or landing changes the count by a whole crew at once. During a handover, both the outgoing and incoming crews are aboard together.

Is anyone ever on the Moon?

Not at present. The list covers people aboard orbiting stations and spacecraft, and no human has been on the Moon since the Apollo program ended.

How many people can Tiangong hold?

It normally hosts a crew of three and can temporarily support up to six during handovers between crews.

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.

Counting humans beyond the atmosphere

The International Space Station is operated by five partner agencies: NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA and the Canadian Space Agency. It has been continuously occupied since the Expedition 1 crew arrived on 2 November 2000, and crews typically serve expeditions of several months. China’s Tiangong station is operated by the China Manned Space Agency and is normally home to a crew of three, rising to as many as six during handovers; crews usually serve about 180 days.

The roster on screen is a list of names with the craft each person is aboard. It is only as current as its upstream source, so a launch, docking or landing in real life may take a while to appear. Because handovers put outgoing and incoming crews aboard together, the total can briefly be higher than usual.

The roster names the craft, not how long each person has been up or what they are working on. How it counts any short private or commercial flight depends on the source, so do not read it as a complete record of everyone who has reached orbit.

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 space on 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.
Why does the total sometimes jump by several people?: Crews arrive and leave in groups, so a launch or landing changes the count by a whole crew at once. During a handover, both the outgoing and incoming crews are aboard together.
Is anyone ever on the Moon?: Not at present. The list covers people aboard orbiting stations and spacecraft, and no human has been on the Moon since the Apollo program ended.
How many people can Tiangong hold?: It normally hosts a crew of three and can temporarily support up to six during handovers between crews.

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