NASA to equip International Space Station with frikkin lasers (for comms)

US space agency NASA plans to run a technology demonstration for space lasers using the International Space Station next month, to test how this could be used to transmit terabytes of data back from science and exploration missions. According to NASA, this demonstration will form the agency's first bi-directional, end-to-end …

[Headley_Grange]

I wonder how many potentially great NASA projects and innovations never got funding because they couldn't hack it on the acronym front.

[IceC0ld]

gets thinking cap on

TITSUP may just have found it place in history :o)

T - odays

I - nformation

T - erabytes

S - ent

U - nder

P - hasers

[Inventor of the Marmite Laser]

Last two characters fit better as "U Using, P Photons."

[IceC0ld]

Hmmm, you are correct

so lets see :o)

T - odays

I - nformation

T - ransmission

S - ent

U - using

P - hotons

OH YES, have to agree, we may yet see TITSUP in full view LOL

[Philo T Farnsworth]

Having sat in on more scientific committee and planning meetings than I care to think about, I have long since come to the conclusion that coming up with a suitable acronym for the project is the hardest part.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

There was a Crew Rescue Vehicle - Experimental for the Shuttle which allegedly got cancelled because it's acronym was too close to a lady-part for NASA's bosses

[Bebu]

More imagination...

《There was a Crew Rescue Vehicle - Experimental for the Shuttle which allegedly got cancelled because it's acronym was too close to a lady-part for NASA's bosses》

These NASA bosses had more vivid imaginations than mine. Alas, I simply cannot get any specifically female anatomical feature from CRV or CRVES (surely not "curves.") If there were an X involved I might think cervix.

The canned emergency crew return vehicle project's code: X-38 when rotated anticlockwise 90 degrees appears to have a more feasible reference to the more interesting lady parts.

Critical updates for NASA telecommunication services hopefully would suffer an anacronym miscarriage at conception.

Still during the '80s there were legions of IT man(age|gle)ment that proudly proclaimed themselves as management information science managers and were quite happy with the title MISmanager which I suppose had the merit of veracity. When I think of "management information science" it would have to be an oxymoron but cannot see where "oxy" could come into it - bugger all management, even less information and science only if think astrology is.

[ChoHag]

> Why, what did you think they were for?

For communicating with sharks?

[Anonymous Coward]

frikkin lasers ?

Isn't that from the first Austin Powers film?

[Anonymous Coward]

Aim the lasers at Marjorie Taylor Greene

It’ll be OK, she’ll have enough tinfoil wrapped around her head.

[Robin]

How big?

This optical module is described as being the size of a microwave

So somewhere between 1mm and 30cm? Not very precise.

[A. Coatsworth]

Re: How big?

You forgot your icon, my good sir ---->

[Bebu]

Re: How big?

《 "This optical module is described as being the size of a microwave"

So somewhere between 1mm and 30cm? Not very precise.》

I was thinking the oven so a bit bigger than a cubesat.

I was wondering whether there is any restriction on deploying serious military lasers on orbiting platforms apart from getting enough power(energy) to operate them? While not likely to be of any use against terrestrial targets the absence of air could make such lasers quite effective against assets that spend at least some time above stratosphere. Reagan's star wars project (SDI) might not have been quite as brain dead as he appeared.

[PeterM42]

DON'T LOOK UP!

[rcxb]

ILCRDLEOUMAT

ILLUMA-T or ILCRDLEOUMAT?

ILCRDLEOUMAT = Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal

ILLUMA-T = I'LL (take) UMA Thurman