Through a landmark agreement announced Monday, people worldwide will be able to watch free on the Internet as 16 nations build and occupy the International Space Station (ISS) in Earth orbit.

The Internet site, EyeOnSpace.com, will utilize the technology and sponsorship of Eastman Kodak Company to provide viewers the opportunity to witness live the construction of the International Space Station. Still and video images will be broadcast from the Russian Service Module of the Space Station to EyeOnSpace.com.

The space station after Zvezda's arrival. The Zarya module is located in the center and Unity is on the right. Photo: NASA

The participating partners, Russian Aviation and Space Agency (RASA) and RSC Energia, will deliver, manage and operate cameras inside and outside the Russian Service Module of the ISS. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will transport via shuttle a Kodak DCS 460 digital camera and accessories to the ISS. In return, NASA will use the EyeOnSpace.com data and images to assist the agency mission operations team. Dreamtime, a multimedia corporation, will manage and operate EyeOnSpace.com in association with Globus Space, a Texas corporation that has the contractual rights with the Russian partners. Kodak will be the "Official Imaging Sponsor" for EyeOnSpace.com.

Currently scheduled for a July 12th launch, the Service Module will serve as the living quarters, power supply, flight control and source of propulsion during construction of the Space Station. After the Service Module or "Zvezda" is operational, the EyeOnSpace.com website will become active.

"We are delighted to participate in this truly historic undertaking, both as a sponsor and as a supplier of digital imaging products and technology," said James Stoffel, Kodak chief technical officer. "Kodak has played a strategic imaging role in mankind's efforts to explore space, from the first days of manned space flight, to more recent programs, such as Senator John Glenn's historic return to space in 1998." Stoffel pointed out that the agreement to participate in the International Space Station supports the company's growth initiatives, which include innovative marketing to better leverage the Kodak brand as well as the use of digital imaging to expand the market for pictures.

"The International Space Station will change the way people use space, especially in the commercial application of science and technology," said Dan Tam, NASA's chief space commercialization officer. "NASA is proud to play a role in this exciting and growing frontier."

"We are looking forward to working with EyeOnSpace and their partners, to bring live images of upcoming space missions to the Internet so that we all can share in the experience of seeing in real time how the ISS is being constructed," Bill Foster, CEO of Dreamtime said.

Under the terms of the Agreement, Kodak will provide a DCS 460 camera and digital imaging technologies, housed in an external imaging pod on the Service Module, to capture images of the construction activity as crews from the U.S., Russia and 14 nations work to assemble the station over the next several years. Other Kodak DCS 460 cameras and video cameras will also be used inside the ISS.