A new show produced by the National Geographic finally shows us regular Joes what a day in the life of an ISS crew member is like. "Life from Space" is a reality TV show that is literally out of this world.
National Geographic's ambitious new show premiered last Friday. The show focuses on both the professional and personal aspects of what it means to be an astronaut onboard the ISS. The show was first broadcast last March 14 at 8 pm (EST) showing video footage taken directly from the ISS.
The Two hour show features the American astronaut Rick Mastracchio and the Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata as they go about their daily lives in space.
"Made in collaboration with NASA, we'll go into orbit with astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Koichi Wakata as they fly at 17,500 mph nearly 250 miles above the earth's surface on the International Space Station, while astronaut Mike Massimino joins host Soledad O'Brien on the ground at Mission Control in Houston," stated National Geographic. "From space, Mastracchio and Wakata will give viewers a fully guided tour, showing us how they live for months in microgravity. They'll conduct never-before-broadcast experiments that demonstrate the real-world value of the science conducted on the floating laboratory."
The ISS is an international space station that orbits that Earth at a speed of 17,500 miles per second.At this speed, the ISS circles the planet once every one and a half hours. The station hurtles through space at a height of 250 miles while astronauts inside the station conduct a wide variety of experiments and studies.
"Life from Space" shows viewers sights that are normally reserved for astronauts. This could include things like meteor showers, lightning storms, orbital views of the planet and even brightly colored auroras. Mastracchio and Wakata also gave viewers a guided tour of the space station showing both work areas as well as the crew's living quarters.
The show will also focus on the technical aspect of being an astronaut. A significant part of the work done on the ISS involves conducting and monitoring a wide variety of scientific experiments.
Back on Earth, the show was hosted by Soledad O'Brien while working in Houston straight from NASA's Mission Control. O'Brien's commentary is vital for the show since there are breaks in the footage steamed from the ISS due to a number of factors related to the orbit of the space station. The new show now airs in 170 countries from around the world.
