View From Space — Now on Your Desktop

March 17, 2009 —There’s probably no better location to enjoy the view of Earth than the International Space Station (ISS), and now you don’t have to take a shuttle ride to the orbiting outpost to see it. You can enjoy the view right from your computer monitor. Live Space Station Video includes Earth views from external cameras on the space station during crew off-duty periods, as well as selected in-cabin views of crew activities during the crew on-duty periods. The video stream is accompanied by audio of communications between Mission Control and the astronauts when available. During times when the shuttle is docked to the station, the stream will include video and audio of those activities. Since the station orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes, it sees a sunrise or a sunset every 45 minutes. When the station is in darkness, external camera video may appear black, but also may provide spectacular views of city lights below. In addition, satellite coverage may be intermittent and result in a display of color bars. The streaming video views of Earth and the exterior structure of the station are from cameras mounted outside the laboratory complex, orbiting Earth at 17,500 miles an hour at an altitude of 220 miles. The video is transmitted to the ground primarily while the astronauts aboard the complex are asleep, usually from about 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. CST. When live feeds are not available, a map showing the current location and path of the station is streamed from NASA's Mission Control in Houston. The ISS is a unique partnership between the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada and Europe. Construction began in 1998 and will be completed in 2010. The streaming video is being webcast as part of NASA's celebration of the 10th anniversary of the space station in orbit. Click here to find out when the station will be visible over your city.

When live feeds are not available, a map showing the current location and path of the station is streamed from NASA's Mission Control in Houston. A view of the Earth from the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA

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