Does the International Space Station get TV?

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For obvious reasons the ISS cannot get cable TV. Can the ISS get the new digital air TV or satellite TV and put an issued dish and receiver on it like a house? How would that be done compared to how it is normally received?

orbital-mechanics iss communication-satellite data-transmission football

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edited 5 mins ago

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up vote
2
down vote

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For obvious reasons the ISS cannot get cable TV. Can the ISS get the new digital air TV or satellite TV and put an issued dish and receiver on it like a house? How would that be done compared to how it is normally received?

orbital-mechanics iss communication-satellite data-transmission football

share|improve this question

edited 5 mins ago

Undo

10k852137

asked 3 hours ago

Muze

1,590944

add a comment | 

up vote
2
down vote

favorite

up vote
2
down vote

favorite

For obvious reasons the ISS cannot get cable TV. Can the ISS get the new digital air TV or satellite TV and put an issued dish and receiver on it like a house? How would that be done compared to how it is normally received?

orbital-mechanics iss communication-satellite data-transmission football

share|improve this question

edited 5 mins ago

Undo

10k852137

asked 3 hours ago

Muze

1,590944

For obvious reasons the ISS cannot get cable TV. Can the ISS get the new digital air TV or satellite TV and put an issued dish and receiver on it like a house? How would that be done compared to how it is normally received?

orbital-mechanics iss communication-satellite data-transmission football

orbital-mechanics iss communication-satellite data-transmission football

share|improve this question

edited 5 mins ago

Undo

10k852137

asked 3 hours ago

Muze

1,590944

share|improve this question

edited 5 mins ago

Undo

10k852137

asked 3 hours ago

Muze

1,590944

share|improve this question

share|improve this question

edited 5 mins ago

Undo

10k852137

edited 5 mins ago

Undo

10k852137

edited 5 mins ago

Undo

10k852137

10k852137

asked 3 hours ago

Muze

1,590944

asked 3 hours ago

Muze

1,590944

asked 3 hours ago

Muze

1,590944

1,590944

add a comment | 

add a comment | 

2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

up vote
3
down vote

More or less.

While the ISS is below the satellites use for TV transmissions, it is passing by so fast that the coverage will be highly intermittent, meaning that you would be able to watch a channel for only a couple of minutes, have black outs over the oceans, and repeat.

Other notable differences would be:

• Normal satellites receiver are "fixed": The dishes don't move. As the ISS is travelling, the antenna will need to move to track the satellites.




• The ISS is moving... And it's moving fast! There will be a significant doppler effect; and the receiver will need to account for that (broader spectrum antenna, and shifting the frequency dynamically).




• The licensing might be a bit complicated; it's unclear whether space is included in the bundle.

share|improve this answer

edited 4 mins ago

Undo

10k852137

answered 2 hours ago

Antzi

6,2641846

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Nice. I thought maybe a dish like on a house might work?
  – Muze
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Muze Might. Probably not for too long. It will have to be able to handle the temperature swings, vacuum, the receiver will need to be able to switch frequencies fast enough, ...
  – Antzi
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
2
down vote

@Antzi's answer is right, but I'll add some context as a supplement.

While Doppler (mentioned there) might or might not be an issue for an off-the-shelf commercial satellite TV box (I don't know) it could probably be fixed with a mod that NASA could easily manage.

The real problems

NASA's TDRS satellites are at the same geosynchronous altitude as "TV satellites", and in fact are more "wobbly" (higher inclination) and yet are to the go-to solution for data and comms for the ISS.

1. The reason that the TDRS satellites tend to be clustered in three groups equally spaced around the Earth, is that the GEO "TV satellites" would constantly be eclipsed by the planet. With a ~90 minute orbit you'd loose line-of-sight communications at irritating moments during 1 hour and many half-hour "shows". For TDRS you just need to slew the dish to the next position.




2. You'l need some more, and expensive articulated dish antennas to constantly track the "TV satellites" as the ISS orbits. See this excellent answer to the question Do antennae on the ISS have to constantly move to maintain data links? There's even a video!

edit: In the future a flat phased array antenna might do the trick nicely (for TV reception) and be cheaper as well as far faster in the "slewing".

3. Selecting the right TV viewing package (as pointed out in @Antzi's answer) might be a substantial challenge even for NASA. It sounds like a question that the US House of Representatives could spend months investigating.

share|improve this answer

edited 1 hour ago

answered 1 hour ago

uhoh

28.9k1495355

add a comment | 

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2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

active

oldest

votes

active

oldest

votes

up vote
3
down vote

More or less.

While the ISS is below the satellites use for TV transmissions, it is passing by so fast that the coverage will be highly intermittent, meaning that you would be able to watch a channel for only a couple of minutes, have black outs over the oceans, and repeat.

Other notable differences would be:

• Normal satellites receiver are "fixed": The dishes don't move. As the ISS is travelling, the antenna will need to move to track the satellites.




• The ISS is moving... And it's moving fast! There will be a significant doppler effect; and the receiver will need to account for that (broader spectrum antenna, and shifting the frequency dynamically).




• The licensing might be a bit complicated; it's unclear whether space is included in the bundle.

share|improve this answer

edited 4 mins ago

Undo

10k852137

answered 2 hours ago

Antzi

6,2641846

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Nice. I thought maybe a dish like on a house might work?
  – Muze
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Muze Might. Probably not for too long. It will have to be able to handle the temperature swings, vacuum, the receiver will need to be able to switch frequencies fast enough, ...
  – Antzi
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
3
down vote

More or less.

While the ISS is below the satellites use for TV transmissions, it is passing by so fast that the coverage will be highly intermittent, meaning that you would be able to watch a channel for only a couple of minutes, have black outs over the oceans, and repeat.

Other notable differences would be:

• Normal satellites receiver are "fixed": The dishes don't move. As the ISS is travelling, the antenna will need to move to track the satellites.




• The ISS is moving... And it's moving fast! There will be a significant doppler effect; and the receiver will need to account for that (broader spectrum antenna, and shifting the frequency dynamically).




• The licensing might be a bit complicated; it's unclear whether space is included in the bundle.

share|improve this answer

edited 4 mins ago

Undo

10k852137

answered 2 hours ago

Antzi

6,2641846

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Nice. I thought maybe a dish like on a house might work?
  – Muze
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Muze Might. Probably not for too long. It will have to be able to handle the temperature swings, vacuum, the receiver will need to be able to switch frequencies fast enough, ...
  – Antzi
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

up vote
3
down vote

up vote
3
down vote

More or less.

While the ISS is below the satellites use for TV transmissions, it is passing by so fast that the coverage will be highly intermittent, meaning that you would be able to watch a channel for only a couple of minutes, have black outs over the oceans, and repeat.

Other notable differences would be:

• Normal satellites receiver are "fixed": The dishes don't move. As the ISS is travelling, the antenna will need to move to track the satellites.




• The ISS is moving... And it's moving fast! There will be a significant doppler effect; and the receiver will need to account for that (broader spectrum antenna, and shifting the frequency dynamically).




• The licensing might be a bit complicated; it's unclear whether space is included in the bundle.

share|improve this answer

edited 4 mins ago

Undo

10k852137

answered 2 hours ago

Antzi

6,2641846

More or less.

While the ISS is below the satellites use for TV transmissions, it is passing by so fast that the coverage will be highly intermittent, meaning that you would be able to watch a channel for only a couple of minutes, have black outs over the oceans, and repeat.

Other notable differences would be:

• Normal satellites receiver are "fixed": The dishes don't move. As the ISS is travelling, the antenna will need to move to track the satellites.




• The ISS is moving... And it's moving fast! There will be a significant doppler effect; and the receiver will need to account for that (broader spectrum antenna, and shifting the frequency dynamically).




• The licensing might be a bit complicated; it's unclear whether space is included in the bundle.

share|improve this answer

edited 4 mins ago

Undo

10k852137

answered 2 hours ago

Antzi

6,2641846

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

edited 4 mins ago

Undo

10k852137

edited 4 mins ago

Undo

10k852137

edited 4 mins ago

Undo

10k852137

10k852137

answered 2 hours ago

Antzi

6,2641846

answered 2 hours ago

Antzi

6,2641846

answered 2 hours ago

Antzi

6,2641846

6,2641846

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Nice. I thought maybe a dish like on a house might work?
  – Muze
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Muze Might. Probably not for too long. It will have to be able to handle the temperature swings, vacuum, the receiver will need to be able to switch frequencies fast enough, ...
  – Antzi
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  Nice. I thought maybe a dish like on a house might work?
  – Muze
  2 hours ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  @Muze Might. Probably not for too long. It will have to be able to handle the temperature swings, vacuum, the receiver will need to be able to switch frequencies fast enough, ...
  – Antzi
  1 hour ago
  

  
  
  
  

Nice. I thought maybe a dish like on a house might work?
– Muze
2 hours ago

Nice. I thought maybe a dish like on a house might work?
– Muze
2 hours ago

@Muze Might. Probably not for too long. It will have to be able to handle the temperature swings, vacuum, the receiver will need to be able to switch frequencies fast enough, ...
– Antzi
1 hour ago

@Muze Might. Probably not for too long. It will have to be able to handle the temperature swings, vacuum, the receiver will need to be able to switch frequencies fast enough, ...
– Antzi
1 hour ago

add a comment | 

up vote
2
down vote

@Antzi's answer is right, but I'll add some context as a supplement.

While Doppler (mentioned there) might or might not be an issue for an off-the-shelf commercial satellite TV box (I don't know) it could probably be fixed with a mod that NASA could easily manage.

The real problems

NASA's TDRS satellites are at the same geosynchronous altitude as "TV satellites", and in fact are more "wobbly" (higher inclination) and yet are to the go-to solution for data and comms for the ISS.

1. The reason that the TDRS satellites tend to be clustered in three groups equally spaced around the Earth, is that the GEO "TV satellites" would constantly be eclipsed by the planet. With a ~90 minute orbit you'd loose line-of-sight communications at irritating moments during 1 hour and many half-hour "shows". For TDRS you just need to slew the dish to the next position.




2. You'l need some more, and expensive articulated dish antennas to constantly track the "TV satellites" as the ISS orbits. See this excellent answer to the question Do antennae on the ISS have to constantly move to maintain data links? There's even a video!

edit: In the future a flat phased array antenna might do the trick nicely (for TV reception) and be cheaper as well as far faster in the "slewing".

3. Selecting the right TV viewing package (as pointed out in @Antzi's answer) might be a substantial challenge even for NASA. It sounds like a question that the US House of Representatives could spend months investigating.

share|improve this answer

edited 1 hour ago

answered 1 hour ago

uhoh

28.9k1495355

add a comment | 

up vote
2
down vote

@Antzi's answer is right, but I'll add some context as a supplement.

While Doppler (mentioned there) might or might not be an issue for an off-the-shelf commercial satellite TV box (I don't know) it could probably be fixed with a mod that NASA could easily manage.

The real problems

NASA's TDRS satellites are at the same geosynchronous altitude as "TV satellites", and in fact are more "wobbly" (higher inclination) and yet are to the go-to solution for data and comms for the ISS.

1. The reason that the TDRS satellites tend to be clustered in three groups equally spaced around the Earth, is that the GEO "TV satellites" would constantly be eclipsed by the planet. With a ~90 minute orbit you'd loose line-of-sight communications at irritating moments during 1 hour and many half-hour "shows". For TDRS you just need to slew the dish to the next position.




2. You'l need some more, and expensive articulated dish antennas to constantly track the "TV satellites" as the ISS orbits. See this excellent answer to the question Do antennae on the ISS have to constantly move to maintain data links? There's even a video!

edit: In the future a flat phased array antenna might do the trick nicely (for TV reception) and be cheaper as well as far faster in the "slewing".

3. Selecting the right TV viewing package (as pointed out in @Antzi's answer) might be a substantial challenge even for NASA. It sounds like a question that the US House of Representatives could spend months investigating.

share|improve this answer

edited 1 hour ago

answered 1 hour ago

uhoh

28.9k1495355

add a comment | 

up vote
2
down vote

up vote
2
down vote

@Antzi's answer is right, but I'll add some context as a supplement.

While Doppler (mentioned there) might or might not be an issue for an off-the-shelf commercial satellite TV box (I don't know) it could probably be fixed with a mod that NASA could easily manage.

The real problems

NASA's TDRS satellites are at the same geosynchronous altitude as "TV satellites", and in fact are more "wobbly" (higher inclination) and yet are to the go-to solution for data and comms for the ISS.

1. The reason that the TDRS satellites tend to be clustered in three groups equally spaced around the Earth, is that the GEO "TV satellites" would constantly be eclipsed by the planet. With a ~90 minute orbit you'd loose line-of-sight communications at irritating moments during 1 hour and many half-hour "shows". For TDRS you just need to slew the dish to the next position.




2. You'l need some more, and expensive articulated dish antennas to constantly track the "TV satellites" as the ISS orbits. See this excellent answer to the question Do antennae on the ISS have to constantly move to maintain data links? There's even a video!

edit: In the future a flat phased array antenna might do the trick nicely (for TV reception) and be cheaper as well as far faster in the "slewing".

3. Selecting the right TV viewing package (as pointed out in @Antzi's answer) might be a substantial challenge even for NASA. It sounds like a question that the US House of Representatives could spend months investigating.

share|improve this answer

edited 1 hour ago

answered 1 hour ago

uhoh

28.9k1495355

@Antzi's answer is right, but I'll add some context as a supplement.

While Doppler (mentioned there) might or might not be an issue for an off-the-shelf commercial satellite TV box (I don't know) it could probably be fixed with a mod that NASA could easily manage.

The real problems

NASA's TDRS satellites are at the same geosynchronous altitude as "TV satellites", and in fact are more "wobbly" (higher inclination) and yet are to the go-to solution for data and comms for the ISS.

1. The reason that the TDRS satellites tend to be clustered in three groups equally spaced around the Earth, is that the GEO "TV satellites" would constantly be eclipsed by the planet. With a ~90 minute orbit you'd loose line-of-sight communications at irritating moments during 1 hour and many half-hour "shows". For TDRS you just need to slew the dish to the next position.




2. You'l need some more, and expensive articulated dish antennas to constantly track the "TV satellites" as the ISS orbits. See this excellent answer to the question Do antennae on the ISS have to constantly move to maintain data links? There's even a video!

edit: In the future a flat phased array antenna might do the trick nicely (for TV reception) and be cheaper as well as far faster in the "slewing".

3. Selecting the right TV viewing package (as pointed out in @Antzi's answer) might be a substantial challenge even for NASA. It sounds like a question that the US House of Representatives could spend months investigating.

share|improve this answer

edited 1 hour ago

answered 1 hour ago

uhoh

28.9k1495355

share|improve this answer

share|improve this answer

edited 1 hour ago

edited 1 hour ago

edited 1 hour ago

answered 1 hour ago

uhoh

28.9k1495355

answered 1 hour ago

uhoh

28.9k1495355

answered 1 hour ago

uhoh

28.9k1495355

28.9k1495355

add a comment | 

add a comment | 

 

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