Over the years, the International Space Station (ISS) has provided various live video feeds from cameras both inside and outside the station. There are currently two live video streams.
(1) Original 4x3 Video Stream
This video feed has been going for many years. The format is quite low resolution (standard definition) with a 4x3 aspect ratio (like old TV programs, more of a square shape than widescreen). Images from this feed vary and include external views of the Earth, external views of work around the space station (EVAs, vehicle maneuvers, etc) and internal views of astronauts and experiments. Occasionally there is audio too, and if you're lucky you'll hear astronauts conversing as they do their work. See this feed here:
(2) External High Definition Camera (EHDC)
This is a single camera showing a fixed view of Earth. It's a fairly narrow field of view so you can't see a lot in the shot, but what you can see is high quality. See this feed here:
Note: This feed replaced the HDEV feed (below). NASA has described the new EHDC as a temporary feed, so we don't know how long it will last.
High Definition Earth-Viewing Experiment (HDEV)
HDEV was an experiment to test four commercially-available cameras in the space environment[1]. It ran from April 30, 2014 until August 22, 2019[2]. This was a hugely popular feed. Images alternated between the cameras, showing a variety of wide and narrow angle views of Earth. When the experiment concluded in 2019 the feed was replaced by the single-camera EHDC (above).
Related Feeds
External Links
- eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ESRS/HDEV HDEV/HDEC home page
Footnotes & References
1. www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=892 (retrieved 2021-10-27)
2. www.nasa.gov/feature/high-definition-earth-viewing-payload-reaches-end-of-life-on-station-surpassing-life (retrieved 2021-10-27)
