NASA and ESA To Demonstrate Earth-Moon Laser Communication

cylonlover writes with this news bite about a cool new ground to space laser communication system from NASA and ESA: "Space communications have relied on radio since the first Sputnik in 1957. It's a mature, reliable technology, but it's reaching its limits. The amount of data sent has increased exponentially for decades and NASA expects the trend to continue. The current communications systems are reaching their limits, so NASA and ESA are going beyond radio as a solution. As part of this effort, ESA has finished tests of part of a new communications system, in preparations for a demonstration in October in which it will receive a laser data download from a NASA lunar orbiter."

SETI

[Entropy98]

Maybe this is part of the reason why SETI hasn't picked up anything yet...

Re:NASA

[Sperbels]

Well, considering the number of and resolution of images sent back Mars and the moon and various spacecraft is limited by the amount of time it takes to transmit all that data, and the amount of power it takes to transmit it...this is a no brainer. It's advantages are so blatantly obvious that it's kind of sad you can't see that. Are you sure you belong here?

We Are About To Begin Phase 2

[l0ungeb0y]

This is the phase where we put a giant "laser" on the Moon. As you know, the Moon rotates around the Earth like so *spins moon globe around earth globe*. When the Moon reaches it's appropriate Lunar alignment, it will destroy Washington DC. You see, I've turned the Moon into what I like to call a "Death Star". Anyway, the key to this is the giant laser. It was invented by the noted Cambridge physicist Dr. Parsons. Therefore we shall call it The Alan Parsons Project