  The large mechanical luminosity of the jets of GRS 1915+105 should give rise
to luminous emission regions, similar to those observed in radio galaxies,
where the jets interact with the gas surrounding the source. However, no radio
synchrotron emission of the expected morphology has been found. Here we present
the results of a study suggesting that radio bremsstrahlung from the compressed
and heated ISM in front of the jets should be detectable, while the synchrotron
lobes may be too faint. We identify these jet impact sites with two well-known
IRAS regions. This identification suggests a distance of GRS 1915+105 of
$6.5\pm1.6$ kpc, significantly closer than the usually assumed distance of 11
to 12 kpc. We discuss the implications of this reduced distance estimate. The
apparent motion of small-scale jet components is not superluminal, so if
superluminal motion is required for an object to be termed a microquasar, GRS
1915+105 actually does not qualify. The mass of the black hole in the system is
increased to $21\pm9$ M$_{\odot}$ while the mechanical luminosity of the jets
is reduced to 14% of the Eddington luminosity.
