NASA | Laser Comm: The Next Generation of Space Communications

NASA is looking for the next generation of space communications technology and Laser Comm may be the answer. Optical communications provide higher bandwidth, which allows for faster data flow and even opens the door to streaming high-def video from distant planets to ground stations on Earth. The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) mission will be put to the test in 2016 on a commercial satellite. There will be ground stations based in California and Hawaii and the demonstration is expected to run for two to three years.

For video downloads go to: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?10848

For more information about Laser Comm go to: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/laser-comm.html

For more NASA technology stories go to: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/home/index.html

Like our videos? Subscribe to NASA's Goddard Shorts HD podcast:
http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/iTunes/f0004_index.html

Or find NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/NASA.GSFC

Or find us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/NASAGoddard

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• rich melnick
• nasa
• nasa goddard
• laser
• satellite
• lcrd
• mission
• california
• hawaii
• technology
• promo
• teaser
• space
• planets
• Jupiter
• spacecraft
• Earth
• ground
• stations
• animation
• rich
• melnick
• walt
• feimer
• chris
• meaney
• david
• israel

[vipkid56]

ok, now lets colonize Mars...

[Alphasys]

@xxwillxx13 The L and A in LAser stand for Light and Amplification. So yes, strong lights. The only problem with this is really its small margin for error in direction due to its inherent narrow beam. Well, and ofcourse the fact that light will be stopped by anything in the "line of sight" where radio waves would just go around or even through the object in the path.

[TheJatmikoo]

I like It

[Tigorfc]

Good Video I like It

[roidroid]

A big part of the tech is essentially being able to aim and fire a powerful laser at a small target, through space, from a long distance away.

This tech could very VERY easily be weaponized. But such is the case with any powerful tech though, not much you can do about that *shrug*. I mean cars are pretty dangerous, and so are planes (eg: World Trade Center).

[kowalityjesus]

@Alphasys I am not offended by your stereotyping me, although that was my initial reaction. inter-space communications would be an ideal application since there is virtually no matter, but I think satellites are intended to transfer data to earth, in which case they will be passing through clouds, which seems pretty hard for a laser to accomplish. I do not doubt that NASA has thought of this, but HOW would this NOT pose a problem?

[Shift4chizzle]

@Alphasys they already made it work for light a long time ago, i was just being a smart ass lol nvm me

[Alphasys]

@Shift4chizzle I doubt you'll find much of that in space. And although meta materials work relatively well for radio and microwave signals, I've yet to see it work for light. We'd all love invisibility cloaks, right?

[Alphasys]

@kowalityjesus How very stereotypical you think of red. Lasers can be of any color, more than you can even see. I'd suspect they'll go towards the blue end of the spectrum though, since it bends less in the atmosphere and won't be stopped by it as easily as red. You won't see many lines in the sky though, since all inter-satellite comms will be above the atmosphere and there won't be any scattering of the beams to see.

[Alphasys]

@subh1 The longer the wavelength, the less information you can send over it. Infrared will work in space, but the atmosphere blocks a lot of it. If you're going for longer wavelengths, you'd end up with a MASER, not a LASER. I suspect they'll go towards the blue end of the spectrum, possibly even ultraviolet. This will yield the most bandwidth. (Think Blue-ray instead of DVD.)

[subh1]

@Alphasys But can't we have lasers out of EM waves in the infrared and radio frequencies? Then at least many more objects on the path of communication will be "transparent" to the laser.

[Shift4chizzle]

@Alphasys unless the stuff in "its line of sight" is meta materials