HOUSTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- NASA says it's now providing Internet viewers an inside look at astronauts working in space by streaming video live from the International Space Station.
The video, available during all crew duty hours, includes audio of communications between Mission Control and the astronauts, NASA said. Since March, NASA has provided streaming video of Earth and the station's exterior as the laboratory complex orbits 220 miles above Earth at 17,500 miles per hour..
"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," the space agency said in a statement. "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 International Space Station is a partnership of the space agencies of the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and Russia. Construction, which began in 1998, will be completed this year.
The ISS streaming video is available at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/isslivestream.asx.
