back to article 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 …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "this programming is not available on your planet"

  2. 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.

    1. diodesign (Written by Reg staff) Silver badge

      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.

  3. 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)

  4. Joe W Silver badge
    Pint

    Timeouts?

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

    UDP would work.

    1. diodesign (Written by Reg staff) Silver badge

      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.

    2. Richard 12 Silver badge

      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".

      1. Arthur the cat Silver badge
        Joke

        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.

        1. Spherical Cow Silver badge

          Re: Timeouts?

          African or European avian carriers?

        2. Spherical Cow Silver badge

          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.

  5. Brave Coward

    Send a signal from Table Mountain to Psyche

    So they basically reinvented Christianity?

  6. heyrick Silver badge

    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.

  7. Clausewitz4.0 Bronze badge
    Black Helicopters

    F4ck NASA

    F4ck NASA and American-Israeli alike.

    Who needs them?

  8. Martin Summers

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

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