NASA makes purrrr-fect deep space transmission of cat vid

From the department of "what must the aliens think of us?" comes news that NASA has demonstrated its Deep Space Optical Communications experiment through the medium of a cat video. The 15-second, ultra-high definition video of an orange tabby cat named Taters was sent back to Earth as part of the demonstration. It took 101 …

[TheMaskedMan]

Depends on the aliens, doesn't it. If they're at all humanoid, they're gathered round cooing something like "awww cute" - after all, who doesn't like something cute and furry to stroke. On the other hand, if they're feline, they just found their next superstar influencer, and if they're canine the pursuit ships are already on their way.

Seems to me that this very impressive demonstration encapsulates everything the internet was made for - sharing cutting edge research and funny cats. Hats off and happy holidays to all the boffins involved. And Taters, of course.

[SnailFerrous]

If they are murine, they'll be turning the invasion fleet around and fleeing back in to deep space. Earth is saved!

Cats with laser beams!

[Doctor Syntax]

Cats in spaaace! Sort of.

[Neil Barnes]

But in space, no-one can see your screen...

[Bartholomew]

It should have been a few pigs, where has all the love for "pigs in spaaace!!!" and Swinetrek gone.

[Eclectic Man]

Wet blanket - sorry

At the risk of putting a damper on things, an astronomer a the University Arizona, Chris Impey has calculated that all of the Radio or TV signals emanating from Earth over the last century are as strong or weaker than the cosmic background radiation, so unreadable beyond out solar system.* Martians, Venusians, and possibly Neptunians may have opinions of our predilection for cat videos, but no one else can read them, thankfully, we can still pretend to be mature, serious, sensible, grown up members of interstellar society, if and when we develop hyperdrive.

* 'Messaging the stars', New Scientist, 27, May 2023, page 27 https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25834402-600-why-sending-messages-to-extraterrestrials-is-controversial/

[TheMaskedMan]

Re: Wet blanket - sorry

"Martians, Venusians, and possibly Neptunians may have opinions of our predilection for cat videos, but no one else can read them"

That doesn't account for passing starships, or Von Neumann / bracewell / etc probes already lurking within the solar system. Given the number of UFOs / UAPs / whatever they're calling them this week, there must be a tailback stretching for parsecs out there :)

[Strahd Ivarius]

Re: Wet blanket - sorry

mature, serious, sensible, grown up members of interstellar society

up to the moment they find we send pornography to the stars, and decide to clean up...

[TheMaskedMan]

Re: Wet blanket - sorry

"up to the moment they find we send pornography to the stars, and decide to clean up..."

Their anthropology people are going to be really, really puzzled, though. They will write learned papers on the purpose of feather dusters and other unlikely implements in Terran mating rituals.

[Miguel Vieira]

To meow where no cat has meowed before!

[Empire of the Pussycat]

Cats in Spaaaaaaaaaace!

Meow

[Anonymous Coward]

Nobody has asked the single most important question

Does Taters still have his?

[Nifty]

"It took 101 seconds for the video to reach Earth, with the system running at its maximum bit rate of 267 Mbps"

Not much good for gaming then...

[John Brown (no body)]

Depends on the game. Anyone for UHD 8K Battlechess?

[BartyFartsLast]

Planet earth is blue

This is ground control to Ginger Tom

[Anonymous Coward]

Just ran a speed test and pleased to report that my Virginmedia broadband is "AstroCat ready"!

[Ali Dodd]

for those wondering

The distance was:

1.4 billion Brontosauri or boringly 80 times the distance between the Earth and the moon.

[Paul Hovnanian]

Could be a problem ...

... if Gordon Shumway's home planet intercepts this transmission.