231 SYSTEMS: COMMUNICATIONS AND TRACKING—THE VITAL LINK TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION CHAPTER 13 Figure 9. In 2012, Expedition 31 flight engineer and European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers works with a video camera while preparing for a Public Affairs Office event in the Destiny US Laboratory. Managing the video system is a complicated job performed by the Communication Rf On-board Network Utilization Specialist. The video management needs to be planned in advance and executed on time because of the dozens of video sources on board the ISS, Ku-band return link bandwidth limitations, time constraints, and input and output constraints on the video switches. In addition, a number of payloads use video, recorded and live, to observe experiments and document the results. The daily coordination spans multiple control centers around the world. Conclusion Since the beginning of the Space Age, video and audio communication systems have been referred to as the eyes and ears of a spacecraft. The communication system of a spacecraft has always been vital to a mission, whether for video of an astronaut saying, “Roger, zero-g and I feel fine,” from the moon, or video of plants or other experiments on the ISS, In addition to bringing the cosmos to Earth, the ground uses communication systems to support the astronauts by ensuring they complete their missions safely and effectively. The ISS has a number of different communication systems that are used for highly specific functions. Audio communication between crew members on the large space station, as well as the ground, allows for timely, efficient operations. Video can be used to provide information about life on board the space station or to record data. Due to the critical nature of communication, the systems are designed with a great deal of robustness and redundancy. To help ensure a smooth operation, the flight control team is just a quick call away.