NASA's Groundbreaking Laser Transmits Breathtaking Video of Cat Named Taters from Space
NASA's groundbreaking laser communications experiment achieves a major breakthrough by transmitting the first-ever video from space Prepare to be captivated as a cat named Taters engages in an adorable pursuit of a laser pointer A remarkable milestone in deep space communication
Subscribe to CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter and stay updated on captivating discoveries, scientific progress, and more. Recently, a laser communications project on NASA's Psyche mission sent a video back to Earth from a distance of nearly 19 million miles (31 million kilometers). The footage features a cat named Taters and marks the first time NASA has transmitted a video from deep space using a laser.
In the high-definition video, a lively orange tabby cat enthusiastically pursues a red dot from a laser pointer as it darts across a couch.
Transmitted to Earth from a flight laser transceiver as part of the Deep Space Optical Communications experiment (DSOC), the cat video showcases the potential of this technology. In the future, it could be instrumental in rapidly transmitting data, images, and videos as humanity continues to expand the boundaries of space exploration, including potential missions to Mars.
A 15-second video was transmitted via near-infrared laser from the Psyche spacecraft to the Hale Telescope at the California Institute of Technology's Palomar Observatory. The video was downloaded at the observatory on December 11, and each frame was streamed live at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
During transmission, the distance between the Psyche spacecraft and Hale was 80 times the distance between Earth and the moon. The laser only took 101 seconds to reach Earth. This high-bandwidth laser communication system is capable of sending data at speeds 10 to 100 times faster than traditional radio wave systems used on other NASA missions. The tech demo was designed to be NASA's farthest experiment in high-bandwidth laser communications, testing the transmission of data to and from Earth using an invisible near-infrared laser.
NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy stated that this achievement highlights the dedication to improving optical communications as a crucial factor in addressing future data transmission requirements. She emphasized the importance of expanding bandwidth to reach future exploration and scientific objectives, and expressed eagerness for the ongoing development and transformation of communication methods in future interplanetary missions.
Launched in mid-October, the Psyche mission is on its way to capture humanity's first view of a metal asteroid located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Over the next six years, the spacecraft will travel approximately 2.2 billion miles (3.6 billion kilometers) to reach its destination in the outer region of the main asteroid belt.
Members of the Deep Space Optical Communications team watch as the first video sent from space by laser arrives on their computer screens on December 11.
JPL-Caltech/NASA
During the first two years of the journey, the Deep Space Optical Communications experiment is undertaking its own mission. "One of the objectives is to showcase the capability to transmit broadband video across millions of miles. Psyche does not produce video data, so we typically send packets of randomly generated test data," explained Bill Klipstein, DSOC project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a statement.
To make this important event even more unforgettable, we collaborated with designers at JPL to produce a delightful video that captures the essence of the demo as a part of the Psyche mission.
The DSOC team worked with JPL's in-house DesignLab creators to select the video they wanted to test in deep space. Uploaded to DSOC prior to the Psyche launch, the video features a graphics overlay highlighting Psyche's orbital path, the Palomar telescope dome, and Tater's color, breed, and heart rate.
Seth Shostak/SETI Institute
The fast radio bursts in space continue to baffle scientists with their mysterious and unusual behavior. "Even though it was transmitting from millions of miles away, it managed to send the video at a speed faster than most broadband internet connections," stated Ryan Rogalin, DSOC receiver electronics lead at JPL.
"After receiving the video at Palomar, it was sent to JPL via the internet, and surprisingly, the connection was slower than the signal coming from deep space. JPL's DesignLab did a fantastic job helping us showcase this technology, and Taters has been a big hit with everyone."
In addition to the widespread appeal of cat videos and memes, the choice to include a cat video for DSOC's milestone also pays homage to broadcast history. According to NASA, a statuette of the Felix the Cat cartoon was used in television test broadcast transmissions as early as 1928.
Significant Achievement
Following DSOC's milestone on November 14, the latest successful test of the laser experiments demonstrates the impressive progress. Engineers have achieved "first light," a crucial milestone in successfully sending and receiving data. The tech demo has continued to advance, highlighting improved capabilities such as enhanced pointing accuracy, vital for transmitting laser messages from space to Earth.
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NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI
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The lasers' high-speed data downlink is equivalent to broadband internet, and the DSOC team recently downloaded 1.3 terabits of data in one evening. This is comparable to the 1.2 terabits sent back by NASA's Magellan mission to Venus over the course of four years in the 1990s.
Ken Andrews, project flight operations lead at JPL, stated, "When we achieved first light, we were excited, but also cautious. This is a new technology, and we are experimenting with how it works. But now, with the help of our Psyche colleagues, we are getting used to working with the system and can lock onto the spacecraft and ground terminals for longer than we could previously. We are learning something new during each checkout."
