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Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
Our televisions and computer screens display news, movies, and shows in high-definition, allowing viewers a clear and vibrant experience. Fiber optic connections send laser light densely packed with data through cables to bring these experiences to users.
NASA and commercial aerospace companies are applying similar technologies to space communications, bringing optical speeds to the final frontier. Free-space optical communications leverages recent advancements in telecommunications to allow spacecraft to send high-resolution images and videos over laser links.
"Free-space" refers to the absence of the insulated, fiber optic cables that enable the terrestrial internet. Free-space laser communications flow freely through the vacuum of space, however atmosphere poses unique challenges to communications engineers.
NASA's Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) will send data to and from ground stations and, eventually, in-space user missions over laser links.
"LCRD leverages the work done in the telecommunications industry for the past several decades. We're taking the concepts that they've created and applying them to space," said Russ Roder, product design lead for LCRD's optical module. "The trick is that we have to optimize the technology for space."
LCRD's mission will be spent proving out the technology by testing laser communications capabilities with experiments from NASA, other government agencies, academia, and—in particular—the commercial aerospace community. Industry-developed experiments will allow companies to test their own technologies, software, and capabilities. NASA is providing these opportunities to grow the body of knowledge surrounding laser communications and promote its operational use.
Previously:
New Ground Station Brings Laser Communications Closer to Reality
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 30 2021, @06:46PM (1 child)
Watch Haiti beat 'em to the punch
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 30 2021, @11:11PM
I don't get it.
(Score: 2) by crafoo on Wednesday December 01 2021, @04:05PM (1 child)
you mean, do what SpaceX is doing right now with their laser links between satellites? does NASA really need to spend money to demonstrate what someone else is already doing? maybe they should go back to doing what NASA is good at: killing astronauts and having their program managers cover it up.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 01 2021, @10:52PM
You are one bitter person.
As of course all technology begins and ends with SpaceX, why does anybody do anything? We are all merely the dog excrement that Elon scrapes off the bottom of his shoe was he exits a Delaware courtroom. You mean SpaceX has all of their systems linked with optical terminals? Oh, they don't? Oh. NASA is doing it to/from the ground, and SpaceX is doing that too? Oh, they're not? And NASA has already demonstrated doing it from the fucking lunar orbit? Surely SpaceX is doing that too? No?
How about you take a chill pill and go pleasure yourself in front of your Muskie Tiger Beat poster. You'll feel better afterwards.