NASA sent back a cat ultra-high definition video at the system’s maximum bit rate of 267 megabits per second (mbps) from nearly 19 million (80 times the Earth-Moon distance) miles away from Earth using laser communication on Monday.
The video, featuring a cat named Taters, marks a historic milestone. NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications experiment beamed an ultra-high-definition streaming video on December 11 from a record-setting 19 million miles away (31 million kilometers)
The milestone is part of a NASA technology demonstration aimed at streaming very high-bandwidth video and other data from deep space – enabling future human missions beyond Earth orbit.
“This accomplishment underscores our commitment to advancing optical communications as a key element to meeting our future data transmission needs,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy.
Also Read: Beijing Will Reunify Taiwan With Mainland China: Xi Warns Biden
“Increasing our bandwidth is essential to achieving our future exploration and science goals, and we look forward to the continued advancement of this technology and the transformation of how we communicate during future interplanetary missions.”
The demo transmitted the 15-second test video via a cutting-edge instrument called a flight laser transceiver. The video signal took 101 seconds to reach Earth, sent at the system’s maximum bit rate of 267 megabits per second (Mbps). Capable of sending and receiving near-infrared signals.
Uploaded before launch, the short ultra-high definition video features an orange tabby cat named Taters, the pet of a Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) employee, chasing a laser pointer, with overlaid graphics. The graphics illustrate several features from the tech demo, such as Psyche’s orbital path, Palomar’s telescope dome, and technical information about the laser and its data bit rate. Tater’s heart rate, color, and breed are also on display.
Also Read: ‘ROHIT LEAVE MI’ Trends On X Days After Mumbai Indians Remove Rohit Sharma As Captain
