Australian Laser Technology to Help Future NASA Missions to Mars
A brand new optical floor station has been constructed by the Australian Nationwide College to assist the U.S. house company, NASA, and others discover house and safely attain Mars.
The Australian group has developed a brand new kind of house communication utilizing lasers.
Researchers say the system will enable them to join with satellites and NASA-crewed missions past low-Earth orbit.
The mission is supported by the Australian House Company’s Moon to Mars initiative.
The Australian Nationwide College Quantum Optical Floor Station is predicated on the Mount Stromlo Observatory, close to Canberra.
It’s a highly effective telescope that may help high-speed superior communications with satellites orbiting at distances from low-Earth orbit to the moon.
Kate Ferguson, affiliate director for strategic tasks on the Australian Nationwide College Institute for House, advised VOA present communication programs counting on radio frequencies may be sluggish and cumbersome.
“I’m certain a few of us keep in mind the grainy photos that we received of the moon touchdown that got here from the Apollo period,” Ferguson mentioned. “So, once more the present radio frequency programs, they’ve these a lot slower information charges and particularly over actually lengthy distances. For house exploration these develop into very sluggish however with optical communications we might be in a position to enhance the speed of that communication.”
She mentioned the brand new system, primarily based on highly effective lasers which might be invisible to the bare eye, will remodel communications in house.
“What we’re aiming to do is to give you the option to obtain high-definition video from future crewed missions. Not solely will that be nice for us right here on Earth, seeing what is going on with the astronauts on these kinds of missions, however it’s going to enhance the connectivity between these missions,” she mentioned. “And what we’re doing right here is optical communication, which makes use of laser beams to talk and these provide a lot greater speeds and elevated safety over the present programs and that is actually vital for us to be getting that information down and having the ability to use it right here on Earth.”
Scientists say the Australian-developed programs might be appropriate with NASA missions.
They are saying the laser-based know-how will enhance astronauts’ means to join with Earth from the moon and in addition enable high-definition video to be despatched from the moon and Mars.
NASA has mentioned beforehand that astronauts could possibly be despatched on a mission to the crimson planet by the mid-to-late 2030s.
