So what does the CRTC have against NASA TV?

"Its really a space crisis," said the CRTCs Marguerite Vogel.

No not that kind of space -- rather, channel space. It appears there is simply no room left on the dial under traditional analog TV and the CRTC has yet to finalize standards for dealing with foreign signals under the new digital technology.

In addition, under existing CRTC rules a cable or satellite provider must offer a minimum amount of Canadian programming. And thats where the rules become the problem.

Even if NASA TV ran nothing all day but Canadian Astronaut Marc Garneau talking about the shuttle's famous Canada Arm, it would still be an American-owned-and-operated channel and, as such, classified as foreign.

Between the space crunch and the content rules, something else would have to go before the CRTC could authorize broadcast of another U.S. channel.

Its unlikely that the majority of cable subscribers would be happy trading in FOX, CNN or ABC for NASA TV, no matter how exciting installing a zero-g toilet aboard ISS might be.

While the general public may be blissfully unaware of the historic events taking place above their heads, there are people who are annoyed with the strict application of the rules in this case.

"Space itself is not a matter of Canadian content. Space is universal," said Raymond Robillard a computer-support person in Montreal. Like many with an interest in events surrounding the space station, he believes the exploration of space is something that unites all people in a common goal.

Told of the ongoing construction project in orbit, Bryan Kirkpatrick, a mechanical-systems designer from Edmonton said, "I didnt even know this was happening. Id be interested in watching that. The news only covers this sort of thing when something goes wrong. The CRTC should make an exception."

Just such an exception (on a small scale) is in the works. Aware of the growing grass-roots support for the channel, the CRTC has allowed one cable-TV provider, (Shaw Cable of Alberta) to carry NASA TV. Broadcast was allowed during the recent Atlantis-ISS mission and will be permitted again temporarily during upcoming missions in October and November.