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Get NASA Explorer up and running on your Android device or emulator with this quick guide.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:
  • Android Studio Koala or newer
  • JDK 17 or newer
  • An Android device or emulator with Android 8.0 (API 26) or higher
  • Internet connection for dependencies and API calls

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Quick Start

1

Clone the repository

Clone the NASA Explorer repository to your local machine:
git clone https://github.com/CCandelaDev/NASAExplorer.git
cd NASAExplorer
2

Open in Android Studio

  1. Launch Android Studio Koala or newer
  2. Click File → Open
  3. Navigate to the cloned NASAExplorer directory
  4. Click OK and wait for Gradle to sync
The initial Gradle sync may take several minutes as it downloads dependencies.
3

Configure NASA API Key

Get a free NASA API key and add it to your project:
  1. Visit https://api.nasa.gov/ and request an API key
  2. Create a file named local.properties in the project root (if it doesn’t exist)
  3. Add your API key to the file:
local.properties
nasaApiKey=YOUR_NASA_API_KEY_HERE
Never commit local.properties to version control. It’s already in .gitignore.
4

Set up Firebase

Configure Firebase for authentication and cloud storage:
  1. Create a project at Firebase Console
  2. Add an Android app with package name: com.ccandeladev.nasaexplorer
  3. Download the google-services.json file
  4. Place it in the app/ directory of your project
  5. Enable Authentication (Email/Password) in Firebase Console
  6. Enable Realtime Database in Firebase Console
The google-services.json file contains sensitive configuration. It’s excluded from version control.
5

Run the app

Build and run NASA Explorer:
  1. Connect an Android device via USB (with USB debugging enabled) or start an emulator
  2. Click the Run button (▶️) in Android Studio
  3. Select your target device
  4. Wait for the app to build and install
For faster builds, use a physical device rather than an emulator if possible.

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First Run

When you first launch NASA Explorer:
  1. Register an account — Create a new account with your email and password
  2. Explore the home screen — Navigate through the bottom tabs
  3. View daily image — Check out today’s Astronomy Picture of the Day
  4. Try favorites — Save images to your personal collection with notes

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Troubleshooting

Make sure you’ve created the local.properties file in the project root with your API key:
nasaApiKey=YOUR_ACTUAL_KEY_HERE
Then sync Gradle again: File → Sync Project with Gradle Files
Verify that:
  • The google-services.json file is in the app/ directory
  • Email/Password authentication is enabled in Firebase Console
  • Your SHA-1 certificate is registered in Firebase (for production builds)
Check that:
  • Your device/emulator is running Android 8.0 (API 26) or higher
  • You’ve completed the Gradle sync successfully
  • Firebase is properly configured with Realtime Database enabled
Ensure:
  • Your NASA API key is valid and has available quota
  • The device/emulator has internet connectivity
  • You’re not hitting NASA API rate limits (30 requests/hour for DEMO_KEY)

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Next Steps

Full Installation Guide

Detailed setup instructions and advanced configuration

NASA API Configuration

Learn about API endpoints and rate limits

Firebase Setup

Complete Firebase configuration guide

Architecture Overview

Understand the app’s MVVM architecture

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Getting Help

If you encounter issues:

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