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Our world: communications in space

Video Our world: communications in space

TLF ID M011993

This is a NASA 'Our World' video clip focusing on the different ways that astronauts on the International Space Station use technology to communicate with ground staff and others on Earth. The narrators include the puppet Lily and actual astronauts on the space station. Different modes of communication include radio contact, phone contact and amateur radio as well as video linking, conferencing and tweeting via the internet. Sometimes the communication is directly to ground receiving stations and other times it is via a network of satellites. The video clip concludes by explaining how students can converse with space-station astronauts. The NASA eClip is on YouTube and runs for 7 mins 15 secs.

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Educational details

Educational value
  • This interesting video clip may indirectly support the Use and influence of science sub-strand of the curriculum for years 7 and 8, in particular the content descriptions relating to understanding how science and technology can contribute to finding solutions to specific problems. In this context, the problem is how to maintain continuous communication links between the space station and control centres on Earth. The resource does not lend itself to exploring how solutions would affect other areas of society or raise ethical issues.
  • The clip can be utilised by students studying independently or used as a teaching aid.
  • The video clip has some potential to support the content description relating to how people (in this context, astronauts and space scientists) use understandings and skills from across the disciplines of science (eg information and communication science and technology) in their occupations.
  • The resource may in a limited way contribute to students attaining that element of the year 7 achievement standard that involves describing situations in which scientific knowledge from different scientific disciplines has been used to solve a real-world problem.
Year level

7; 8

Topics Orbits Scientific inquiry Space stations Interdisciplinary research
Learning area
  • Science

Other details

Contributors
  • Contributor
  • Name: NASA
  • Organization: NASA
  • Description: Repository
  • Address: UNITED STATES
  • URL: http://www.nasa.gov/
  • Name: Education Services Australia
  • Organization: Education Services Australia
  • Description: Data manager
  • Address: VIC, AUSTRALIA
  • URL: http://www.esa.edu.au/
  • Publisher
  • Name: NASA
  • Organization: NASA
  • Description: Publisher
  • Address: UNITED STATES
  • URL: http://www.nasa.gov/
  • Resource metadata contributed by
  • Name: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Organisation: Education Services Australia Ltd
  • Address: AUSTRALIA
  • URL: www.esa.edu.au
Access profile
  • Unknown
Learning Resource Type
  • Video
Rights
  • NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted. If not copyrighted, NASA material may be reproduced and distributed free of charge for noncommercial educational purposes without further permission from NASA. NASA should be acknowledged as the source of the material. If copyrighted, permission should be obtained from the copyright owner prior to use. Key image by Jesse Allen, NASA’s Earth Observatory using data courtesy of the MODIS Land Group.