Everyday I have the pleasure of joining the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. This is possible because NASA has high-definition (HD) cameras that stream live video of Earth from the International Space Station. The public may connect to this video stream from the comfort of their home with a DSL or higher Internet service. This makes it possible for millions of people to have the view of Earth from space without having to experience liftoff, special toilets, re-entry, and landing.
Streaming image below is a live video feed from the International Space Station.
Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream
Courtesy of NASA TV
Click on the ‘Play’ button to begin live streaming from ISS. (If screen is all black, ISS is on night side of Earth)
This “experiment” began in April 2014, and is meant to test the equipment needed for continuous video streaming from a space environment. It is one ISS experiment that makes us part of the ISS crew and allows us to enjoy their view of Earth almost anytime we desire.
You can watch this video feed:
- Above on this page.
- On NASA TV (click on the text to go there now.)
- Through an application (app) on your phone or tablet.
Some things to note:
- Each orbit takes approximately 90 minutes and about 30 minutes of each orbit is on the night side of Earth, therefore the screen may be all black.
- ISS loses streaming signal several times during each orbit when it is out of range of equipped Earth-based communication centers.
- Cameras and/or angles can change.
If you want to know where ISS is over Earth go to the following link: ISS Tracking Map
Screen shot images from the ISS HD cameras:
View from ISS as it flies over the Bering Strait area
Looking southeast as ISS flies over the Northern Pacific
Looking straight down at the Pacific Ocean
View to the northwest as ISS slides into night over Chile (two Soyuz spacecraft docked)