In a groundbreaking space communication experiment, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully used laser technology to transmit an ultra-high-definition cat video from deep space 31 million kilometers away from the earth. The video was transmitted in just 101 seconds, which is faster than most home broadband networks.
The protagonist of this experiment is an orange cat named Taters. The funny video of him chasing a laser on a gray sofa has become a medium for NASA to test its cutting-edge laser communication technology. The 15-second video was transmitted at a speed of 267 megabits per second, a record-breaking transmission aboard NASA’s Psyche spacecraft.
“Despite being transmitted from millions of miles away, it’s still faster than most home broadband connections,” Ryan Rogalin, the project’s receiving electronics manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), said in a press release. .In fact, after the video was received at the Palomar Observatory, it was transmitted to JPL through the network, and the speed of this network connection is not as fast as the signal from deep space.”
This experiment, called Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC), aims to increase the speed and bandwidth of communications between NASA and deep space spacecraft and astronauts. As NASA plans to send astronauts to Mars, this kind of communication technology upgrade will be key.
A powerful laser signal emitted from JPL’s Table Mountain facility in California serves as a beacon to help the mind ship locate its transmitter. The spacecraft then used its own laser to transmit information to Earth, which was received and downloaded by the Hale Telescope at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County.
This optical communication utilizes the same technology as fiber optic networks. Even though light signals travel at the same speed as radio waves, they are able to transmit more information, which will be useful for future high-bandwidth material downloads and uploads.
“Increasing our bandwidth is critical to achieving future exploration and science goals, and we look forward to the continued advancement of this technology and how it will transform the way future interstellar missions communicate,” NASA Associate Administrator Pam Melroy said in a press release. “
source:BUSINESS INSIDER
