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Mars Telecommunications Orbiter: Interplanetary Broadband
space.com ^ | 05/05/05 | Bill Christensen

Posted on 05/05/2005 6:46:57 PM PDT by KevinDavis

Lockheed Martin Space Systems is expected to land a $500 million contract to build the Mars Telecommunication Orbiter, said Roger Gibbs, MTO project manager at JPL in Pasadena, California. The MTO is intended by NASA to pioneer the use of lasers in planet-to-planet communication; the intended launch date will be sometime in 2009.

The Mars Telecommunication Orbiter will be the first interplanetary spacecraft whose main mission is to provide communications services to other missions. It will orbit Mars at a higher altitude than most orbiters, about 2,800 miles above the Martian surface. This will provide an enhanced line of site to Earth. The spacecraft will communicate with Earth via two radio bands and a new optical communications terminal, which will demonstrate the use of a near-infrared laser beam for interplanetary communications.

(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: broadband; mars; marstelecomm; mto; space; surfthenetinspace
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To: Paleo Conservative

Well I can see where that will be a problem. It'll take all of us back to the days of dial-up with slow modems. I'll get Engineer Scott to work the problem.


21 posted on 05/05/2005 7:36:43 PM PDT by NCC-1701 (AN ACTIVIST JUDICIARY IS A CULT!!!!! IT MUST BE ERADICATED FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH.)
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To: NCC-1701; All

It is going to be slow at first.. Going to be slow looking at naked martian chicks...


22 posted on 05/05/2005 7:38:51 PM PDT by KevinDavis (Let the meek inherit the Earth, the rest of us will explore the stars!)
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To: InterceptPoint
"Now if only we had someone there to talk to." Image Hosted by ImageShack.us
23 posted on 05/05/2005 7:40:44 PM PDT by cripplecreek (I don't suffer from stress. I am a carrier!)
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To: KevinDavis

And that CAN NOT be permitted to happen.


24 posted on 05/05/2005 7:41:16 PM PDT by NCC-1701 (AN ACTIVIST JUDICIARY IS A CULT!!!!! IT MUST BE ERADICATED FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH.)
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To: NCC-1701; All

You mean slow downloads of naked Martian chicks??


25 posted on 05/05/2005 7:42:27 PM PDT by KevinDavis (Let the meek inherit the Earth, the rest of us will explore the stars!)
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To: Paleo Conservative
A new domain .mars

FreeRepublic.mars :)

26 posted on 05/05/2005 7:51:42 PM PDT by demlosers (Rumsfeld: "We don't have an exit strategy, we have a victory strategy.'')
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To: KevinDavis
"Going to be slow looking at naked martian chicks..."


27 posted on 05/05/2005 7:56:17 PM PDT by demlosers (Rumsfeld: "We don't have an exit strategy, we have a victory strategy.'')
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To: Paleo Conservative
Yeah, do us a favor, and invent subspace communications. ;^)
28 posted on 05/05/2005 8:01:32 PM PDT by demlosers (Rumsfeld: "We don't have an exit strategy, we have a victory strategy.'')
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To: Paleo Conservative
Someone needs to develop a hyper speed protocol that allows transmission of information faster than the speed of light.

Yeah, my thoughts, too. That 250 second delay at opposition (1250 at conjunction) is really a drag.

29 posted on 05/05/2005 8:06:27 PM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets (Deadcheck the embeds first.)
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To: Paleo Conservative
Someone needs to develop a hyper speed protocol that allows transmission of information faster than the speed of light.

If anyone ever figures out how to generate microscopic wormholes, FTL communications (as well as real-time control over orbiters, rovers, etc) will become possible.

30 posted on 05/05/2005 8:48:50 PM PDT by FierceDraka (The Democratic Party - Aiding and Abetting The Enemies of America Since 1968)
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To: cripplecreek

Captain James T Kirk would!


31 posted on 05/06/2005 3:13:18 AM PDT by Arkie2
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