Incredible moment a man speaks to astronaut on ISS using homemade device
A man has unbelievably been able to speak directly with astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) using a homemade device.
The incredible moment was captured on camera when ham radio enthusiast Doug spoke with astronauts in space using his own equipment.
Doug had made previous attempts at connecting with astronauts over the airwaves but was finally successful in July 2023 as the ISS passed overhead.
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Using an amateur radio, Doug was able to speak to NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg.
In the clip uploaded to YouTube, Doug reads out his call sign numerous times, which is “Kilo Bravo 8 Mike.”
He finally receives a reply from Hoburg who says: “Kilo Bravo 8 Mike, NA1SS got you loud and clear aboard the Space Station, welcome aboard.”
In the video description, Doug wrote: “I've made numerous voice and APRS contacts over the FM satellites and the ISS repeater. But I've always wanted to talk to an astronaut.
“Over the Memorial Day weekend I finally made that contact. I made contact with the ISS and talked to Woody Hoburg. What a thrill.”
Many astronauts on the ISS also have ham radio licenses, and often host scheduled contact sessions with people back on Earth.
NASA, ESA, CSA, and Roscosmos all participate in Amateur Radio on the International Space Station, a program which encourages children to reach out to the station to encourage interest in science.
But occasionally amateur operators do manage to make it through and speak to the astronauts using their own equipment.
It's only really possible when the ISS is in certain positions, so even if you have equipment capable of reaching it you'll have to wait for it to pass overhead.
It's no use trying to contact from the US when the ISS is over Australia.
Ham radio operator Matt Payne and his daughter Isabella also managed to contact the ISS, chatting to astronaut Kjell Lindgren in August 2022.
Speaking to IFLScience, Payne said: “It's pretty rare to speak to an astronaut outside of a scheduled educational contact. There are several factors that need to align for it to happen.”
He added: “The ISS must be passing within LOS [Line Of Sight]... at a time that coincides with an astronauts ‘down time’, as in they must not be working doing an official scheduled task.
“There must be an astronaut who is actively using the Amateur Radio equipment to make unscheduled contacts.”