Canadian cameras to be installed on International Space Station this month
by The Canadian Press
Vancouver-based UrtheCast said video, still photo cameras should be in place by Jan. 27
VANCOUVER—Another attempt will be made in two weeks to install two Canadian-developed cameras on the International Space Station.
A cabling problem halted installation during a spacewalk in late December.
Vancouver-based UrtheCast Corp. says the cameras should be in place on Jan. 27.
UrtheCast CEO Scott Larson said in a statement he expects the second spacewalk to result in a complete installation of the Earth-imaging cameras.
The space cameras were installed by two Russian cosmonauts on Dec. 27 without incident.
But shortly after they were put in place, the Mission Control Centre near Moscow reported it couldn’t receive any data from either camera.
Without data, the control centre could not confirm the cameras were receiving power and would be able to survive temperature fluctuations in space.
Once installed, the cameras—one shoots photos, the other streams video—will transmit images of the Earth on the Internet early next year.
They will be able to capture images of outdoor events, stadiums, boats and planes, but images like people’s faces and licence plates will be too small to be visible.
