this post was submitted on 03 May 2024
146 points (99.3% liked)

Tech

464 readers
1 users here now

A community for high quality news and discussion around technological advancements and changes

Things that fit:

Things that don't fit

Community Wiki

founded 9 months ago
MODERATORS
Vacant@programming.dev
146
NASA uses laser link to beam data 140 million miles across space at 25 Mbps (www.techspot.com)
submitted 6 months ago by mac@programming.dev to c/tech@programming.dev
21 comments fedilink hide all child comments
all 22 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] jqubed@lemmy.world 23 points 6 months ago

This has been one of the quieter technologies NASA has been working on for years now, but it’s really exciting to see how well it’s working! The potential benefits it offers could be game changing!

[–] aBundleOfFerrets@sh.itjust.works 21 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Send a team to install a pair on the voyager probes!

[–] darvocet@infosec.pub 18 points 6 months ago (1 children)

A Comcast technician can be at the probes to install service in the 24th century between 12pm and 5pm. Someone 18 and older will need to be present during the install. Would you like to confirm this appointment?

[–] ironhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 13 points 6 months ago

We might be able to use the same laser to also push the team out there for installation. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_propulsion

[–] kowcop@aussie.zone 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I looked it up, Mars is 140million miles away.. pings would suck though

[–] Mango@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I'm not really understanding how they verified the information made it that far.

[–] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I'm assuming it was a two-way test. Beam some data to the spacecraft, then have the spacecraft beam the data back to Earth.

[–] Mango@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

What spacecraft?

[–] iegod@lemm.ee 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Just read the article.

Psyche mission launched on October 13, 2023, with the goal of exploring the origin of planetary cores and studying the metallic asteroid known as 16 Psyche. The spacecraft is scheduled to reach the namesake asteroid in 2029.

[–] Mango@lemmy.world -2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

It's definitely not 140m miles away after just a year.

[–] iegod@lemm.ee 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Actually, it is! Space motion isn't straightforward. Here's another article that has a diagram indicating the relative positions.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-optical-comms-demo-transmits-data-over-140-million-miles

[–] Mango@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Oh wow thanks! I did not have the perspective for the distance. I figured that was Voyager 1 kind of numbers.

[–] JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Voyager 1 is in the neighborhood of 15b miles from earth!

[–] Mango@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

Hot damn

[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 4 points 6 months ago

Great, now we’ll never get that data back

[–] Wahots@pawb.social 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Damn, 753 light seconds away (about 12.5 light minutes if my math is correct). 25 mbps is pretty good at that distance. Awesome feat of engineering.

[–] onlinepersona@programming.dev 1 points 6 months ago

And hitting a moving object in space at that distance for 12 minutes is impressive too! You have to know where the object will be 12 minutes ahead of time all the way. That's science right there.

Anti Commercial-AI license

[–] zarathustra0@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Yeah but think about that lag.

[–] Mango@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

Just always peek. Build for movement speed.