What was the laser message emitted 16 million kilometers from Earth received by NASA?

the a pot searching for New ways to travel in space. In addition to studying alternative fuels, it is also analyzing how to do this Simplify communications With their spaceships traveling through the solar system.

For this reason, an experiment is being conducted that could change the way spacecraft communicate with Earth. specific, NASA received a laser message broadcast 16 million kilometers from Earth via Psychological probeWhich is on its way to encounter an asteroid bearing the same name in the coming years. To get an idea of ​​the distance between the sender and the receiver, suffice it to say that the moon is “only” 384,400 kilometers away.

This is a pilot test of the associated laser communications Psychological task The spacecraft sent its first data, a demonstration of the use of laser communications in deep space missions. The Deep Space Optical Communications Experiment, or DSOC, is attached to the Psyche spacecraft, which is currently heading toward an asteroid in the main Earth-Earth belt. Mars And Jupiter After its launch last month.

god Fire the encoded infrared laser Which contains information about the exact location of the Psyche probe. That was her goal A lighthouse located on Telescope Hale, Which is located at the Palomar Observatory of the California Institute of Technology in California, United States. Never before has precise laser communication been achieved beyond Earth orbit.

Task-specific communications a pot In deep space it is operated by the Deep Space Network, a network of antennas in three locations around the world that primarily uses radio. but Laser communications can provide 10 to 100 times greater bandwidth. Therefore, NASA wants to try using this technology in situations such as transferring scientific data.

DSOC transmitted test data from about 10 million miles away on November 14, sending it via laser to Caltech’s Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California. This transmission is known as the “first light of the mission.”

According to Trudy Curtis, Director NASA technology demonstrationsThis is an unprecedented achievement:Achieving first light is one of DSOC’s many critical milestones “In the coming months, it will pave the way for higher data rate communications capable of sending scientific information, high-definition images and video streaming to support humanity’s next great leap: sending humans to Mars,” Curtis said in a report. launch.

The test is more difficult than using radio waves to communicate, because radio waves spread over a large area as they travel, making them easier to pick up. With the Laser communications, there is a narrow beam, so the spacecraft and ground facilities must be carefully aligned.

“This test was the first to fully integrate ground assets and the flight transponder, requiring the DSOC and Psyche operations teams to work together,” said Meera Srinivasan, DSOC operations lead at NASA’s Aircraft Propulsion Laboratory. He added: “It was a huge challenge, and we have a lot of work to do, but for a short time, we were able to send, receive and decode some data.”

The DSOC trial will continue for another two years. Primarily using test data, but potentially sending data from the Psyche spacecraft. The ship is also equipped with conventional radio communications equipment, so this will be a purely functional test. If the system proves reliable, laser communications could help carry out missions Sending large amounts of scientific data to Earth in the future.

“Optical communication is a boon for scientists and researchers who always want more from their space missions, and will enable human exploration of deep space. More data means more,” said Jason Mitchell, director of the Advanced Communications and Navigation Technologies Division in NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program. Of discoveries.

It is worth noting that NASA’s Psyche probe became famous for its goal of exploring the universe asteroid Bearing the same name, which is valued in minerals 10,000 billion dollarsAlthough it is impossible to know the exact number for sure. Not surprisingly, it is also known as the “Golden Asteroid.”