![]() Viewers can watch in real-time as astronauts float through the vacuum of space, working on experiments, or repairing equipment. Whenever astronauts venture outside the International Space Station (ISS) to perform maintenance or upgrades, NASA TV is there to capture the action. One of the most exciting aspects of NASA TV is its live coverage of spacewalks and launches. And while not everyone can be an astronaut or work at NASA, everyone can tune into NASA TV to experience the excitement of space exploration. With its vast network of satellites, probes, and telescopes, the space agency has uncovered some of the universe's biggest mysteries, from the origins of the cosmos to the search for extraterrestrial life. Without the technology that made it possible, we would not have the images that created indelible memories for so many viewers and inspired countless scientists, engineers and artists.CAMERA-1 CAMERA-2 ISS-TRACKING NASA-TV Mediaįor decades, NASA has been at the forefront of space exploration, pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and understanding. ![]() But the story of how this historic event was broadcast to the world is just as remarkable. This technique was later nicknamed ‘HAL 10,000’-an homage to HAL 9000, the antagonist of the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, on which Trumbull had served as special photographic effects supervisor.Ĭonversations about the Apollo 11 mission often focus on the power of the rocket, the ingenuity of the spacecraft, and Neil Armstrong’s momentous first steps on the lunar surface. During the broadcast, these were used to create simulations of the mission which were then intercut with real footage.ĬBS worked with special effects specialist Douglas Trumbull to create their Apollo 11 programming, layering slides of graphics with images of the Moon during the live broadcast. Networks paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for scale models of Apollo command modules and rockets. Many broadcasters used simulations to flesh out their Apollo programming. The Intelsat I ‘Early Bird’ communications satellite, which had helped provide the first live TV coverage of a spacecraft splashdown in 1965, was temporarily reactivated in order to broadcast the Apollo 11 mission worldwide. The Moon landing was a blockbuster opportunity for broadcasting companies around the world. In the video below, Pip Greenaway, one of the engineers working at Goonhilly that night, talks about the challenges of ensuring the broadcast ran smoothly.ġ:1 scale model of Intelsat I satellite, 2014 Operators at Honeysuckle Creek flipped the picture for broadcast when the astronauts moved the camera to a tripod, it was flipped back around.īritain’s signals were received by the Post Office’s Goonhilly Antenna 1, known affectionately as ‘Arthur’, in Cornwall. The pictures were uploaded to Earth-orbiting satellites, then transmitted back to NASA’s Manned Spaceflight Centre at Houston and, via further satellite links, to TV receiving centres around the world.Īt first, the images broadcast from the Moon were upside down, due to the position in which the television camera had been mounted on the Lunar Module for safe transport. The Parkes radio telescope dish in Australia also began transmitting once it was able to have line-of-sight contact with Apollo 11. At the last second, NASA switched from Goldstone to Honeysuckle for the world broadcast. Goldstone Observatory in California was also receiving the signal, but the picture was grainy and hard to make out. This change of plans meant that Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station in Australia was in the perfect position to relay the first few minutes of the transmission. They couldn’t wait and requested to exit the Lunar Module ahead of schedule. Sketches of lunar surface activities including setup of TV camera, 1969Īfter successfully landing on the Moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were supposed to sleep for a few hours. The images were grainy and indistinct, but they represented a stunning breakthrough in broadcasting. In the cabin, Buzz Aldrin closed a circuit breaker, and black-and-white TV pictures of Armstrong’s ghostly form were beamed back to Earth. The umbrella-like antenna was lined with 38 miles of fine gold-plated wire, thinner than human hair, to reflect the signal 250,000 miles back to Earth. The image and sound signals were transmitted via a lightweight antenna on the top of the lander. To ensure it was able to record images of the mission, the small camera was specially equipped to deal with the high contrast between light and shade on the Moon. Contained within it, surrounded by gold-coloured installation blankets, was the black-and-white Westinghouse television camera. Daily Herald Archive/Science Museum GroupĪs Neil Armstrong eased himself onto the ‘porch’ of the Lunar Module, he pulled open a storage assembly attached to the lander’s lower stage.
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