NASA Beams Video From Deep Space

What video was beamed by NASA from deep space?

NASA recently sent a video back to Earth from deep space. The video shows a cat named Taters playing with a laser beam and other information. NASA used lasers to send the video, which travelled a long distance to reach Earth.

This was the first time NASA tried using a laser to send a video from so far away. It was part of a NASA experiment.

What experiment was it part of?

Streaming the video was part of NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment. The goal is to find ways to send lots of information from really far in space to Earth. It's hard to send many good-quality pictures and videos over long distances using present technology.

The cat video was uploaded to a spacecraft launched on 13th October 2023. It was streamed on Earth on 11th December 2023.

How was the video streamed?

The video was sent using a device called a flight laser transceiver. This device beamed a laser containing the video to Caltech's Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California, where it was downloaded. Afterwards, the video was sent to NASA, where it was played.

This laser communications demonstration was part of NASA's Psyche mission, aiming to send data from deep space more efficiently than current systems. The test will help scientists get ready for future space missions.

What is NASA’s Psyche mission?

NASA's Psyche spacecraft (launched on 13th October 2023) is set to explore an asteroid, also called Psyche, located between Mars and Jupiter in the main asteroid belt. This is NASA's first mission to study an asteroid with more metal than rock or ice. It will reach and start studying the asteroid by 2029.

It is fitted with various equipment. It also includes the DSOC experiment. It will be used to test optical or laser communications beyond the Moon.