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The Challenges of Lasers in Space
Artist concept of a solar sail demonstration mission that will use lasers for naviation. Credit: NASA.
Since the beginning of the space age, radio waves have been used for communication with spacecraft. But last month, NASA’s Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) made history by using a pulsed laser beam to transmit data over the 385,000 km (239,000 miles) between the Moon and Earth at a record-breaking download rate of 622 megabits per second (Mbps). This was NASA’s first system for two-way communication using a laser instead of radio waves. In our previous article today, we described how NASA will test out the Optical PAyload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) on the International Space Station to demonstrate how videos can be beamed to Earth via laser beam.
What are the challenges in testing out an entirely new way of doing communications in space?
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Read the rest of The Challenges of Lasers in Space (275 words)
© nancy for Universe Today, 2013. |
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Post tags: International Space Station (ISS), LADEE, Lasers
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Source: http://www.universetoday.com/106624/the-challenges-of-lasers-in-space/
