With the help of four cameras, NASA is giving every internet user the opportunity to see the Earth as if they were on the International Space Station (ISS). The HD video is uploaded directly to the American space agency's Ustream channel, while alternatively, one can also visit the website created by NASA for this purpose.
The four commercial cameras are installed on the exterior of Columbus, the European component of the International Space Station, as part of the High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV) experiment. The aim of the experiment is to test them in real-world conditions until October 2015, so that the service technicians can check which ones are robust enough to be included in future space missions.
The video captures the impressive view of the planet from space, as the ISS is on the side of the Earth that is currently illuminated by the sun. The image is not accompanied by sound, so that one can add the soundtrack of one's choice, as NASA writes characteristically.
Because the image "darkens" when the space station passes over the dark side of the planet, NASA has added an interactive map to its website that shows the position of the ISS at any time, showing whether it is over the bright or dark hemisphere.
When the video is grayed out, it means either NASA is switching the feed to a different camera or that communication with the ISS has been temporarily lost. In that case, those who can't wait can watch some of the recorded footage on the space agency's channel.
Although the experiment officially began on May 2, due to a technical problem in the first few days, the broadcast was interrupted for long periods of time. For about 24 hours now, however, it seems that the fault has been repaired, since the channel is generally operating normally. In fact, so far its views have exceeded 7.9 million.
