Clever ways in which astronauts communicate with each other in space

Ever wondered how astronauts talk to each other in space, where sound can't travel?

Well, astronauts have found ways to conquer this thanks to some clever tech.

Thanks to high-frequency radio transmitters and receivers on board their spacecraft, astronauts can send and receive signals directly to and from Earth. These signals can move through the vacuum of space without the need for a medium like air.

It gets more interesting on spacewalks whereby astronauts use built-in radio systems within their spacesuits to talk to each other and mission control.

For example, NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program is essential to the successful operation of its spaceflight missions.

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Whether the space guys are aboard the International Space Station or rovers on Mars, they can stay in contact with their colleagues.

But communication across space isn't instant.

Depending on how far away the astronauts are, there can be a delay in messages, known as latency.

These delays can range from a few seconds to several minutes depending on the vacuum size that the radio waves are travelling across.

For instance, when Mars is closest to Earth, around 35 million miles away, it takes four minutes for a message to travel each way.

But at the farthest point, about 250 million miles away, that delay can last up to 24 minutes. Imagine asking a question and waiting nearly half an hour for a reply!

As a result, scientists are exploring advancements in their systems like something called quantum communication which might one day allow for nearly secure, zero-delay comms.

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Something like this will be critical as NASA gears up to send humans to the Red Planet.

Video communication is also pretty high-tech up in space too.

They're still keeping it pretty modern up there as astronauts use video cameras on their spacecraft to share live footage of their surroundings or onboard experiments.

Which is probably why there are so many TikTok and YouTube clips recorded by ISS scientists explaining what life's like up there as well as strange things that happen to their bodies in space.

For a video message to come from outer space to our screens and in decent quality too is pretty amazing.

But they keep the ultra quality for space missions. We've seen Apollo radios send grainy black and white footage from the Moon whilst the upcoming optical terminal on the Artemis II mission will transmit 4K, ultra-high definition video from lunar orbit.