In a hilarious incident, a man rejected a call on his iPhone from an astronaut aboard the International Space Station high above Earth. He shared the story on Reddit, Internet bursts out in laughter.
We are all guilty of not answering a phone call even when we see the phone ringing. It could be for many reasons such as being busy on another task or just not feeling comfortable receiving a call from an unknown number. However, this common practice became the source of a man’s greatest regret as he missed out on an opportunity to receive a call from the International Space Station or ISS and the chance to speak to an astronaut who was high above Earth! And all of this happened because his iPhone caller ID displayed “US Gov”. As the person shared his tale on the popular discussion platform Reddit, netizens burst out in laughter. Check out the viral story below. Also read: Boeing and NASA launch Starliner space capsule for a rendezvous with International Space Station
Missed call from space: Man rejects a call from the ISS
The entire incident unfolded on a Reddit post in the popular subreddit r/TIFU. This subreddit is a space for people to share their stories of mistakes and regrets. The user who went by the username of EmpatheticApatheist revealed the story which took place on Sunday, May 22. Also read: History! Astronaut makes FIRST TikTok video ever from International Space Station
Narrating the story, the man said, “A friend of mine is currently on his second mission to the ISS. I saw a call come in on my iPhone and the caller ID said “Us Gov.” I first had that thought / feeling you get when the principal calls you to their office”. It turns out the user became uncomfortable upon learning that the government was trying to call him. Having no clue that the call was actually made from outer space, he decided to ask people around him what he should do.
As everyone told EmpatheticApatheist in unison that he should not answer the call, he decided to heed to the advice and send the call to the iPhone voicemail. However, regret began filling as soon as he realized where the call came from. “Turns out it was my buddy calling from SPACE. I had a chance to speak to someone that wasn’t on Earth and screwed it up,” said the poster, narrating his viral story.
So far, the post has received 61.6K upvotes and more than 1,500 comments. Many people consoled the man while some made jokes to lighten the mood.
How does a call from the space work
The ISS is situated in the lower orbit of the Earth and is constantly in motion. The space station moves at a speed of 7.66 km/s or 27,576 km/h. Due to its high speed, it is not possible to track the ship using systems on the ground. So, specific satellites called Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS) have been deployed by NASA to enable communication between the ground and the ISS. The satellites offer high speed internet to the station as well.
The space station has an internet-based phone system that is operated through a computer. But it can only make outgoing calls as due to lack of traditional phone numbers, someone from Earth cannot dial up the ISS.