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!
this post was submitted on 03 May 2024
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Send a team to install a pair on the voyager probes!
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?
No! Don't use Comcast. They'll make the connection 10x more inconsistent and unreliable than it should be.
I’m sorry, but the probes are not served by any other internet service provider. The 24th century is all booked up, did you want to schedule for the 25th?
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
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.
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.
I'm not really understanding how they verified the information made it that far.
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.
What spacecraft?
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.
It's definitely not 140m miles away after just a year.
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
Oh wow thanks! I did not have the perspective for the distance. I figured that was Voyager 1 kind of numbers.
Voyager 1 is in the neighborhood of 15b miles from earth!
Hot damn
Great, now we’ll never get that data back
Yeah but think about that lag.
Just always peek. Build for movement speed.