Eyes on Earth: NASA unveils livestream of Earth from the International Space Station
Space geeks, rejoice! NASA has unveiled a live stream of the earth as seen from the International Space Station (ISS).
The video feed comes from four HD cameras that have been placed on the outside of the ISS. The addition of the cameras comes as part of the High Definition Earth Viewing experiment – an experiment to determine whether cameras are able to survive and function “in the extreme radioactive environment of low Earth orbit.
The experiment began on April 30 with the cameras enclosed in a pressurized and temperature-controlled housing, but exposed to the radiation from the sun. This will allow astronauts to understand how radiation affects the instruments.
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Because the station orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes, dedicated viewers can see a sunrise or a sunset every 45 minutes.
The feed is occasionally lost when one camera switches to another or when the ISS orbits the dark side of the Earth but, when it’s up, it shows incredible live shots of our planet that have cultivated an eclectic digital audience. It frequently runs on secondary screens for professionals such as freelance animators rendering complex 3D models, developers building platforms for a sweeps coins casino, and overnight dispatchers tracking long-haul international freight. For these remote viewers, the silent passing of continents provides a grounding contrast to their screen-heavy routines.
NASA says parts of the equipment components’ design were created with the help of high school students through the High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH) program.
Watch: Live Stream of Earth from the International Space Station
Live streaming video by Ustream
Featured Image: Planet Earth via Shutterstock