In what is being hailed as a landmark moment for space-age customer service, the International Space Station’s helpdesk recently received a ticket with a request so earthly it left ground control chuckling: an astronaut asked for the Wi-Fi password.
The ticket, submitted by Commander Jenny Thompson, was short, simple, and surprisingly relatable. “Hi helpdesk team, can you please send me the Wi-Fi password? Streaming Gummy Bear documentaries is getting difficult with these connection drops. Thanks!”
While one might imagine astronauts equipped with state-of-the-art tech and limitless bandwidth, it turns out even the heroes of the cosmos face the everyday hassle of spotty internet at 250 miles above Earth. According to sources, the station’s internet is notoriously patchy and heavily regulated to prioritize space exploration data, leaving little room for binge-watching anything but scientific experiments.
Ground-based helpdesk technicians, normally accustomed to dealing with printers that won’t print or mysteriously vanished email attachments, were momentarily baffled but quickly embraced their new role as space Wi-Fi gatekeepers. “We double-checked the systems,” said a helpdesk rep on condition of anonymity, “and had a quick internal debate: do we set up a guest network? Do we hand out a password that can only be used by astronauts? In the end, we sent one back. Apparently, it’s stronger than NASA’s encryption protocols.”
The ticket closed with a cheerful update: “Password received and tested. Streaming much improved. Thank you, earthlings!”
Experts say this amusing request signals a new era where even orbital explorers are dependent on their cat videos and video calls with loved ones—because, yes, loneliness in space is apparently best fought with memes. Meanwhile, helpdesk employees worldwide are quietly hopeful for a wave of similar requests—they’re certainly ready for more interstellar small talk.