Television channels of NASA
For the television channel in the Republic of Macedonia, see
Na?a TV
.
Television channel
NASA TV
(originally
NASA Select
) is the
television
service of the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA). It is broadcast by
satellite
with a
simulcast
over the
Internet
. Local
cable television
providers across the United States and
amateur television
repeaters
may carry NASA TV at their own discretion, as NASA-created content is considered a work of the U.S. government and is within the
public domain
. NASA TV is also available via various cable, satellite, and
over-the-top media services
worldwide. The network was formally created in the early 1980s to provide NASA managers and engineers with real-time video of missions.
[2]
[3]
NASA has operated a television service since the beginning of the space program for archival purposes, and to provide media outlets with video footage.
[4]
The network airs a large amount of educational programming and provides live coverage of an array of crewed missions (including the
International Space Station
), robotic missions, and domestic and international launches. The network completed its conversion from
analog
to
digital
transmission in late 2005 following the launch of
STS-114
, ending a period of dual analog and digital broadcasting. However, some cable television systems may still have transmitted in analog before the U.S.
digital television transition
. The satellite link uses the
DVB-S
system for transmission.
Channels
[
edit
]
NASA TV operates three channels. The "Public Channel" provides 24-hour broadcasting of live and recorded events and
documentaries
aimed toward the general public, as well as space and science programming for
schools
,
museums
, and other educational institutions. The "Media Channel" is dedicated to broadcast news organizations and other members of the press, featuring press release video, interviews, mission press conferences and other services. The final is "NASA TV UHD", an experimental
ultra-high-definition television
channel created through a
Space Act Agreement
with
Harmonic Inc.
, featuring content from NASA's archives that takes advantage of the large format, with a musical audio track.
[5]
[6]
A
high definition
simulcast feed of the "Public Channel" was launched on July 19, 2010.
[7]
The "Education Channel" was discontinued in 2016, with its programming merged into the main Public Channel. The NASA TV website also provides a channel featuring continuous live footage from inside and outside the ISS, established to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the station in orbit.
[8]
While NASA distributes NASA TV in high definition, some redistributors, such as
Dish Network
and
DirecTV
, downconvert to standard definition before delivering to their customers.
[9]
[10]
Programming
[
edit
]
NASA TV carries various regularly scheduled, pre-recorded educational and public relations programming 24 hours a day on its various channels. Programs include
NASA Gallery
, which features photographs and video from NASA's history;
Video File
, which broadcasts
b-roll
footage for news and media outlets;
Education File
, which provides special programming for schools;
This Week @ NASA
, which shows news from NASA centers around the country; and
NASA Edge
and
NASA 360
, hosted programs that focus on various projects and activities within NASA. Live ISS coverage and related commentary is aired in hour-long segments throughout the day.
[11]
The network also provides an array of live programming, such as ISS events (spacewalks, media interviews, educational broadcasts), press conferences and rocket launches. These often include running commentary by members of the NASA Public Affairs Office who serve as the "voice of Mission Control", including Rob Navias, Nicole Cloutier, Brandi Dean, and formerly, Josh Byerly and the retired
George Diller
.
Past issues with Canada's broadcasting authority
[
edit
]
Before 2007, the
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
(CRTC) prohibited NASA TV from being aired by local satellite and cable providers within Canada, except for specific broadcast events. Under existing CRTC rules, a cable or satellite provider had to offer a minimum amount of
Canadian content
from domestic Canadian companies, and the only involvement the equivalent
Canadian Space Agency
had with space missions involved shared American space shuttle missions at the time, along with the
Canadarms
. Additionally, CRTC stated in September 2000 that there simply was not enough room left under the analog television
frequency allocation
plan, and standards for dealing with foreign
digital television
signals had not been finalized.
[12]
On April 20, 2007, the Commission issued a notice stating that after receiving an initial request from
Mountain Cablevision
and support from other Canadian broadcasters and members of the public, NASA TV had been added to the
list of foreign television channels available in Canada
.
[13]
Broadcast partnerships
[
edit
]
NASA has used external companies to provide streaming services for online viewers, both embedded into NASA's website and through streams branded by those companies. The variety of stream formats used have varied with the available technology and with the popularity of formats, including
RealMedia
,
QuickTime
,
Windows Media
,
Flash Video
and
H.264
.
In July 2005, NASA entered into an agreement with
Yahoo!
and
Akamai Technologies
to provide streaming services for NASA TV ahead of the
STS-114
mission and associated Return to Flight program after the
Space Shuttle
Columbia
disaster
.
[14]
As of 2011
[update]
, NASA has entered agreements with
Ustream
to provide high definition streaming of NASA TV and high definition cameras aboard the International Space Station, along with mission audio. Archives of press conferences,
NASA Social
events, and other events are also made available via UStream.
[15]
Other NASA TV programs and events are archived via the NASA TV
YouTube
channel.
In July 2023, NASA announced that it would form a new streaming platform known as NASA+, accessible via the agency's mobile apps and apps for
digital media player
platforms such as
Apple TV
and
Roku
.
[16]
Broadcast television affiliates
[
edit
]
As NASA TV is a service of the
federal government of the United States
, its programming is considered in the
public domain
for any organization or person to use as they see fit; for instance the
paid programming
network LifehacksDRTV and
WMGM-TV
uses NASA TV's educational blocks to fulfill their
FCC
E/I
requirements for their individual station or network affiliates. A list of known rebroadcasters is available on the website
RabbitEars
.
[17]
Awards
[
edit
]
In 2009, NASA TV received two
Emmy Awards
. On January 24, the Midsouth Chapter of the
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
awarded NASA TV and the
Marshall Space Flight Center
with the Governor's Award for Lifetime Achievement in recognition of NASA's 50th anniversary.
[18]
On August 22, NASA TV was awarded a national
Primetime Emmy Award
, the
Philo T. Farnsworth Award
, for engineering excellence in recognition of the 40th anniversary of
Apollo 11
's first television broadcast from the surface of the Moon.
[4]
[19]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Ecuer, Marie-Sophie (April 12, 2018).
"NASA TV HD and NASA TV UHD distributed on Eutelsat satellites"
(Press release). Eutelsat
. Retrieved
August 15,
2018
.
- ^
McAuliffe, Tom Patrick (September 2007).
"The Video Horizon"
.
Digital Content Producer
. Archived from
the original
on October 15, 2008
. Retrieved
December 31,
2009
.
- ^
Heimberger, Mike (July 12, 2005).
"NASA Digital Conversion Information"
.
NASADigitalTV.com
. Archived from
the original
on July 14, 2011
. Retrieved
July 16,
2010
.
- ^
a
b
Smith, Yvette (August 20, 2009).
"NASA Television Receives Philo T. Farnsworth Primetime Emmy Award"
.
NASA.gov
. Retrieved
January 1,
2010
.
- ^
"NASA TV UHD Channel Access Information"
(PDF)
. NASA/Harmonic. April 11, 2017.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on March 16, 2018
. Retrieved
June 9,
2018
.
- ^
Dunbar, Brian (July 15, 2010).
"Digital NASA TV"
.
NASA.gov
. Retrieved
July 16,
2010
.
- ^
"NASA Television Debuts Full-Time High Definition Channel"
(Press release). PR Newswire. July 15, 2010. Archived from
the original
on December 26, 2010
. Retrieved
July 16,
2010
– via HDTV Magazine.
- ^
Wilson, Jim (January 29, 2010).
"Live Space Station Video"
.
NASA.gov
. Retrieved
July 16,
2010
.
- ^
"Channel Guide"
(PDF)
.
Dish Network
. 2018. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on February 12, 2019
. Retrieved
February 11,
2019
.
- ^
"Channel Lineup"
(PDF)
.
DirecTV
. 2017. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on October 4, 2018
. Retrieved
February 11,
2019
.
- ^
Wilson, Jim (April 6, 2010).
"NASA TV Schedule"
.
NASA.gov
. Retrieved
July 16,
2010
.
- ^
Anderson, Stephen (September 20, 2000).
"NASA TV: Banned In Canada?"
.
Space.com
. Archived from
the original
on February 10, 2001.
- ^
Secretary General (April 20, 2007).
"Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2007-43"
(PDF)
. Ottawa:
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on July 6, 2011
. Retrieved
December 15,
2009
.
- ^
Dunbar, Brian; Mirelson, Doc (July 12, 2005).
"NASA Signs With Yahoo! and Akamai To Bring Shuttle Mission Online"
.
NASA.gov
. Retrieved
October 30,
2011
.
- ^
"Amendment to Ustream.tv's Terms of Service Applicable to Government Users/Members"
(PDF)
.
Webcontent.gov
. September 25, 2009. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on April 4, 2012
. Retrieved
October 30,
2011
.
- ^
Malik, Aisha (July 28, 2023).
"NASA is launching its own streaming service later this year"
.
TechCrunch
. Retrieved
July 31,
2023
.
- ^
"Stations for Network - NASA"
.
RabbitEars
. Retrieved
March 14,
2017
.
- ^
Cabbage, Michael; Storey, Angela (January 22, 2009).
"NASA Television Honored by Midsouth Emmy Chapter"
.
NASA.gov
. Retrieved
July 16,
2010
.
- ^
"NASA Wins Emmy for Apollo 11 Moon Broadcast"
.
Space.com
. August 20, 2009
. Retrieved
January 1,
2010
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
NASA TV
.
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