NASA broadcast a video of the snapshot more than 30 million kilometers away in space

NASA has successfully broadcast a high-definition video of an object cat Named Taters From a record distance of about 31 million km, using deep space optical communications technology (DSOC). The test was conducted on December 11 as part of the mission spiritIt could revolutionize the transmission of large-scale data from space, opening a new channel for future missions such as manned missions to Mars. CBS..

The hero of the video, Taters, is an orange cat owned by an employee at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) l a pot And it wasn’t in space. In the 15-second clip, the cat chases a red dot from a laser pointer, a transmission that culminates in the use of infrared laser technology and exceeds the speed of a broadband Internet connection.

The signal was issued from the probe spirit During his journey towards a metallic asteroid that could provide clues about the composition of the cores of rocky planets, he detailed… CNN.

The effective transmission takes only 101 seconds to reach Earth from a distance equivalent to 80 times the distance between Earth and planet Earth. Moon impressed NASA specialists with its speed, even compared to current Earth communications.

This achievement is considered a “historic milestone,” according to what he said Ryan RogalinReceiving the leader of the electronics project in Jet Propulsion LaboratoryIt represents a major advance for the space agency in its efforts to improve deep space communication capabilities. The Psyche mission continues its six-year journey towards a metal-rich asteroid located between Earth’s orbits Mars And JupiterIt is a journey that covers about 3.6 billion kilometres.

Bill KlippsteinThe technology demonstration project manager at JPL explained that they typically send out randomly generated test data packets, but they decided to make the event memorable by creating this Taters video.

The DSOC team collaborated with Design laboratory From JPL to design the video content, which also includes a graphic overlay showing the orbital path of the Psyche probe, and the telescope dome on Palomar Observatory to California Institute of Technology And cat data such as colour, breed and heart rate.

This tribute to the Taters also reflects the historical role of cats in experiencing transmission and remembrance Felix the catIt has been used in experimental television broadcasts since 1928.

the NASA Deputy Administrator Pam MilroyHe stressed the importance of developing optical communications as an essential element for the agency’s future data transmission needs. The next step is to further develop this technology, which will transform communications during future interplanetary missions.

In addition, mission engineers saw improvements in signal accuracy, an essential skill for sending laser messages from space. A recent test of downloading data at speeds similar to broadband Internet, where the DSOC team downloaded 1.3 terabytes of data in one night, indicates a promising future for space communications.