Netflix on Mars? Yeah maybe, thanks to NASA's laser comms demo

NASA's Deep Space Optical Communication (DSOC) technology demonstration has notched up another performance milestone as it approaches a year in space. The laser communications demo, which is riding on board NASA's Psyche spacecraft, has been breaking records as Psyche speeds toward its destination. In April, from 140 million …

[Anonymous Coward]

"this programming is not available on your planet"

[DoctorNine]

Nice news

I'd be interested in the details of the lasers used in this accomplishment. I think the technology here is likely to pervade future computing, especially given the inevitability of pervasive near earth orbit networks. Thanks for the update, Mr. Speed.

[diodesign]

Re: Nice news

I've added a couple more links to the page, so if you follow the ones on there to NASA, you'll get some more info.

C.

[short]

If deep space networks are your thing, Nasa's "Uplink-Downlink: A History of the Deep Space Network, 1957-1997" is a nice primer on the early years.

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/sp-4227.pdf (or search for the title if you don't trust links)

[Joe W]

Timeouts?

I don't think TCP would be working, the timeouts are waaay too short, aren't they?

UDP would work.

[diodesign]

Re: Timeouts?

If you think we're not the type to let some specifics like TCP timeouts get in the way of a headline gag, you'd be wrong.

C.

[Richard 12]

Re: Timeouts?

It'd work, as modified for avian carriers.

Though you'd probably want to use something with fewer required round trips, on the assumption that you want to the video to start before the "chill".

[Arthur the cat]

Re: Timeouts?

It'd work, as modified for avian carriers.

Though you'd probably want to use something with fewer required round trips

I don't see avian carriers managing many round trips between Earth and Mars.

[Spherical Cow]

Re: Timeouts?

African or European avian carriers?

[Spherical Cow]

Re: Timeouts?

There's also the possibility of encasing the avian carrier in a protective cylindrical structure, as per 1944's Project Pigeon guided bombs. But then you've basically built a space mailtruck.

[Brave Coward]

Send a signal from Table Mountain to Psyche

So they basically reinvented Christianity?

[heyrick]

It's a long way away

Using a proper standard length of 26cm (not that incorrect measure El Reg has), I make that distance to be 866,569,846,154 linguine.

[Martin Summers]

Great, now can we have a webcam on the moon? Someone needs to watch out for those buggers coming to invade us.