How can I listen to NASA?

Currently, NASA relies primarily on radio waves for communications, but the agency is developing ways to communicate with infrared lasers. This type of transmission — dubbed optical communications — will offer missions higher data rates than ever before.

Reports. HOUSTON – Conversations between astronauts aboard the International Space Station and flight controllers on the ground now are available for the public to hear live, 24 hours a day, seven days a week on NASA’s Web site, www.nasa.gov .

Radio frequency communications for spacecraft are conducted between 30 MHz and 60 GHz . The lower frequency bands are typically more mature for SmallSat usage, however extensive use of these bands has led to crowding and challenges acquiring licensing.

As mentioned above, the transceiver on board the ISS is tuned to transmit radio signals at a frequency of 145.80 MHz . “Anybody with a receiver or scanner able to tune into that frequency can listen to the space station when it’s overhead,” Ransom said.18 Ağu 2011