A laser device on board the Psyche module of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sent a video from a distance of 31 million kilometers to Earth. It’s a fifteen-second shot of a cat named Taters, characteristically waving at the light from a laser pointer. According to NASA, it is testing technologies that transmit data from deep space that will facilitate future manned missions.
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Fifteen second video with Taters the cat. | Video: NASA
The ultra-high-definition cat video was sent to Earth on December 11 by the Deep Space Optical Communications facility, which can transmit and receive near-infrared wavelength signals. The maximum transmission speed reached 267 megabits per second, while the signal took 101 seconds to travel approximately eighty times the distance between the Earth and the Moon. Scientists received the video at the Hale Telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California.
“This achievement underscores our commitment to developing optical communications as a key element for future data transmission needs,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pamela Melroy, who said expanding the communications bandwidth is critical to achieving “future discoveries and scientific goals.”
The main goal of the Psyche mission, which started this October, is to investigate the metal-rich planet of the same name, which orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. The Deep Space Optical Communications facility is one of the devices on board the module and is designed to transmit data from deep space ten to a hundred times faster than the most advanced radio frequency systems in use today. If the experimental high-speed communication proves successful, it could pave the way for sending complex scientific data after humanity heads to Mars.
But during test broadcasts, scientists now mainly transmit randomly generated data, said Bill Klipstein of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “But to make this important event even more important, we decided to make a fun video,” explained the expert, as the cat appeared on the technicians’ screens.
Taters is the pet of one of the lab staff. The video also includes technical data about the laser and data flow, as well as the path of the Psyche probe and a diagram of the dome of the Palomar Observatory. The bottom left corner also shows the cat’s heart rate, its color, and even the remaining number of cat lives.
2023-12-19 11:24:09
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