Is there a way to listen to ISS Space Station communications?

Question

or to send messages/audio to them?

Answer 1

Operational traffic is not encrypted. There are channels concerning crew health matters and operational security that are encrypted.

Answer 2

Nasa has a live feed on it's website.  If the ISS is the only action going on in space then they might be feeding from there.  if in fact it is a military operation i doubt there is any feed from there you could listen to except short wave and if it is military it is probably on a wavelength not available to the public.

Answer 3

Not without being arrested. :)

Answer 4

My guess is no, but if you want to see what they are doing, tune into the NASA channel- the program airs the ISS a lot. Or go to nasa.gov.

Answer 5

Yes, if you have a ham radio you can listen to the astronauts inside talk to other people, or you can talk to them directly yourself.  As long as they're above the horizon, you're out of luck when they're on the other side of the world.

You're probably not going to hear anything very technical on it, it's mainly for educational outreach and for the astronauts to have something to pass time while they're not busy.

http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/

From the FAQ there:

"CAN HAMS MAKE UNSCHEDULED ARISS CONTACTS?

    Yes. The ISS crew has not lost sight of why it has been so successful. It is the Amateur Radio community that has brought astronauts voices into schools. Crew members make random contacts with earth-bound hams. They make contacts during their breaks, pre-sleep time and before and after mealtime. Astronauts have contacted thousands of hams around the world. Computer software allows the crew to operate the 2-meter packet gear radio in unattended mode, and hams can make contacts when the crewmembers are working."