See the Stars With the Mars Rover Live Feed and Other Space Streams
Technology has come a long way in the last century, opening up the possibility of space travel for the first time in history. While commercial space flights are now available, they still come with price tags that are light years away from fitting into most people’s budgets.
The good news is that you don’t have to have millions of dollars in the bank to get an up-close-and-semi-personal look at outer space. Check out these online space streaming websites and cameras that can help transport you across the galaxy right through your computer screen.
Explore Mars With Perseverance’s Archived Recordings
Ever wondered what it’s like on the red planet? Look no further than this collection of free recordings from the Perseverance rover’s Mars mission. NASA began chronicling the rover’s journey back in August 2020 with a series that blends behind-the-scenes pre-launch footage and interviews.
In some of the earliest videos, you’ll hear from the team behind the mission and get a closer look at the rover itself. The archived videos then follow the rover’s journey all the way up to the present, with footage and commentary featuring highlights from the mission so far. If you’re looking for the latest scoop on Mars, the Perseverance recordings are a great place to start.
Stay up to Date on SpaceX’s Latest Adventures
SpaceX is undeniably at the forefront of the future of space travel, with the goal of someday making the galaxy more accessible to commercial travelers. Want to stay on top of the latest missions? Be sure to bookmark the launches page of the SpaceX website, where you’ll find news about all of its past and upcoming launches.
Then, join millions of other subscribers on the SpaceX YouTube channel. There, you’ll find all kinds of fascinating videos, including mission webcasts, launch footage and video commentaries. Follow astronauts and crew members alike through livestreams of current flights and archived footage of past missions.
Explore the Universe With NASA TV
NASA truly blasts off in the streaming department; it offers an impressive array of programming through NASA TV. Check out the schedule to see when you can tune in to watch livestreams covering upcoming launches and missions. Or, head over to NASA’s YouTube channel, where you can subscribe to NASA TV for free.
Even when the channel isn’t showing live news, it remains active 24 hours a day and features plenty of other programs to keep viewers engaged. Depending on when you tune in, you might see replays of past missions, interviews or even pre-recorded educational programming. If you’re a space enthusiast, NASA TV is an effective and free way to stay up to date and entertained any time of the day or night.
Check Out the View From the International Space Station
Want to see what Earth looks like from above? Now you can stream live footage from the International Space Station (ISS) through NASA’s UStream channel. There, you’ll find HD footage from the ISS as it orbits our planet. The footage even includes an audio feed that allows you to listen in on conversations between the ISS crew and mission control.
Just keep in mind that the station does experience “loss of signal” periods every 90 minutes or so. This is because the station orbits the globe once every 90 minutes, so its sunsets happen more frequently than ours do here on Earth. If the ISS is going through a dark patch, the screen appears blue, and you’ll need to wait for it to orbit back into the light side of Earth before the stream resumes. Rest assured that your patience will be rewarded with spectacular views of the planet as it appears from a space-eye view.
Explore the Stars With the Hubble Space Telescope
Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has given us a front-row seat to the universe. Luckily, NASA has been far from greedy when it comes to sharing the awe-inspiring images Hubble has sent back to Earth. There’s also a video page on the NASA website where you can watch clips that blend Hubble’s space footage with computer graphics and commentary to help you understand what you’re seeing.
Check out Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, explore nebulae or ride along on a Hubble servicing mission. You’ll even find interviews with astronauts filmed both on Earth and while in space. If you’re looking to explore the farthest known reaches of the universe, it’s definitely worth hitching a ride on the Hubble.
Take an Ultra High-Definition Tour of Space
In your quest for interstellar entertainment, be sure not to overlook NASA’s gallery, where you’ll find a collection of stunning ultra-high-definition videos. Among the gems you’ll find in the collection is the first-ever 8K video ever filmed in space. The video takes you onboard the ISS to see how international space exploration is improving lives on Earth and beyond.
You can also see the moon like never before with NASA’s 4K Moon Tour. Complete with music and commentary, the virtual tour reconstructs footage from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to highlight some of the moon’s most interesting features. Other videos let you join an astronaut on a spacewalk, watch the view that the crew of Apollo 13 had as they circled the moon or see Mercury’s transit across the sun in 2019.
Hang Out With the ESA’s Astronauts
The European Space Agency (ESA) has its own video collection that gives viewers a chance to ride along with astronauts on missions to the ISS. Among them, you’ll find a web series called “Cosmic Kiss” that’s sort of like a reality show set in space.
It follows the adventures of German ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer, who set out on his first mission to the ISS alongside a small crew. “Cosmic Kiss” documents the mission through a series of short videos that show the world what it’s really like to journey into orbit.
