Posted on 09/27/2025 1:12:45 AM PDT by blueplum
NASA has just pulled off a deep space first that could forever change the way we communicate beyond Earth. A silent beam of light traveled an unimaginable distance—and then something remarkable happened.
In a major step toward high-speed space internet, NASA has successfully exchanged laser-encoded messages with a spacecraft over 350 million kilometers from Earth. The story, reported by IFLScience, marks the success of one of the most ambitious space communication tests ever attempted—and may open the door to a future where humans on Mars send back livestreams in real time....
To carry out this experiment, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) used its Table Mountain Facility in California to send a focused 3-kilowatt laser beacon toward Psyche. Once the spacecraft locked onto the beam, it fired back its own optical signal carrying encoded information....
Capturing the faint returning signal required the capabilities of Caltech’s Palomar Observatory in San Diego County. The observatory’s large dome and sensitive detectors picked up the returning photons, decoding them into meaningful data...
(Excerpt) Read more at dailygalaxy.com ...
Thanks for the wonderful blast from the past...
My slide rule isn’t metric.
Actually none of them are. I collect them.
I have a pretty Post Versalog with leather case and hardbound manual. It is cute.
best answer
The return signal was about 217,000 Miles.
The average distance between the earth and the moon is around 239,000 Miles.
A radio wave can go from earth to moon and reflect signal back (Moon Bounce) to any 2 places on earth seeing the moon at the same time (VHF, UHF, microwave). (maximum 1500 PEP power)
Example:
Getting Started and Progressing in EME Communications
https://www.n1fd.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/EME-I-Getting-Started-in-EME-v2a.pdf
Yes, a 3,000 Laser is powerful. It is an issue of wave length (relates to frequency).
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