# Wow! NASA finally discovers good audio! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 25, 2009, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-nasa-finally-discovers-good-audio/518880 "2009-11-25T05:46:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-nasa-finally-discovers-good-audio/518880/1 "2009-11-25T05:46:14Z")
On the Rachel Maddow show this evening (guest host Howard Dean), they had a video clip of the crew of the ISS talking about what they’ll eat for Thanksgiving dinner. And, unlike every other time I’ve seen astronauts talk, it actually sounded good! Previously, they spoke into some [bizarre looking blue box with a twisty white cable attached](http://blog.cleveland.com/nationworld_impact/2008/11/large_CORRECTION_Space_Shuttle_Nov29-08-Meye.JPG). And it sounded like ass - like the worst telephone connection you’ve ever heard. But this time, they were using a perfectly normal [Shure SM-58](http://www.shure.com/proaudio/products/wiredmicrophones/us_pro_sm58-cn_content) (the most common vocal microphone in existence) and they sounded great! ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-nasa-finally-discovers-good-audio/518880/2 "2009-11-25T16:07:05Z")
They were forced to abandon the home-made mic as Radio Shack no longer sells those blue plastic project boxes. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-nasa-finally-discovers-good-audio/518880/3 "2009-11-25T18:04:13Z")
They probably paid 10 grand for it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/13edae/32.png) [@Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interconnected_Series_of_Tubes)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-nasa-finally-discovers-good-audio/518880/4 "2009-11-27T03:09:35Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > They probably paid 10 grand for it anyway. Would be interesting to do the math on the weight of the object, and the money required to send it into orbit. You might be underestimating it. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-nasa-finally-discovers-good-audio/518880/5 "2009-11-27T03:55:14Z")
> [@Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](#): > > Would be interesting to do the math on the weight of the object, and the money required to send it into orbit. > > You might be underestimating it. An SM-58 is actually a pretty substantial microphone at 10.5 oz, but checking an audio forum, it appears it is the newer Beta 58 at 9.92 oz. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-nasa-finally-discovers-good-audio/518880/6 "2009-11-27T04:08:54Z")
When I searched to find those weights, I noticed [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33QPLbQi9FI). If you are going to go to the trouble and expense of sending one up there, it should be fairly rugged so they don’t have to waste money sending up replacements. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-nasa-finally-discovers-good-audio/518880/7 "2009-11-27T06:43:13Z")
They stole the hammering schtick from ElectroVoice, who used it to demo their 635A mic thirty years ago when I was in that biz. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-nasa-finally-discovers-good-audio/518880/8 "2009-11-27T19:51:23Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > They stole the hammering schtick from ElectroVoice, who used it to demo their 635A mic thirty years ago when I was in that biz. Yes, but then the 635A was actually a hammer that they hollowed out and inserted a microphone capsule into. It’s one of the select few microphones that nobody considers a “classic”. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-nasa-finally-discovers-good-audio/518880/9 "2009-11-27T20:57:19Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Yes, but then the 635A was actually a hammer that they hollowed out and inserted a microphone capsule into. It’s one of the select few microphones that nobody considers a “classic”. Not a classic microphone, but ut us a ckassic hammer.