Public Gets Inside Look at International Space Station with Streaming Video

Astronauts are used to being watched by co-workers in Mission Control, but soon anyone on Earth could peek inside the station to see what's happening in orbit.  NASA plans to provide an inside look at astronauts working in space by streaming video live from the International Space Station's laboratories.

The internal views are set to begin Feb. 1 and will be available during all crew duty hours.

Since March 2009, NASA has provided streaming video online of Earth and the station's exterior as the laboratory complex orbits 220 miles above Earth at 17,500 miles per hour. The new in-cabin streaming video includes audio of communications between Mission Control and the astronauts, when available.

Television from the station is available only when the complex is in contact with the ground through its high-speed communications antenna and NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. During "loss of signal" periods, Internet viewers may see a test pattern. When the space shuttle is docked to the station, the stream will include video and audio of those activities.

The station is a unique partnership between the space agencies of the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and Russia. Construction began in 1998 and will be completed in 2010. Twenty-two crews have lived aboard the orbiting laboratory since 2000, including the current crew of five. Station residents have conducted important scientific experiments and gathered data to help assist future missions.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/station