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By NASA
4 Min Read NASA Terminal Transmits First Laser Communications Uplink to Space
NASA's LCOT (Low-Cost Optical Terminal) located at the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Credits: NASA NASA’s LCOT (Low-Cost Optical Terminal), a ground station made of modified commercial hardware, transmitted its first laser communications uplink to the TBIRD (TeraByte Infrared Delivery), a tissue box-sized payload formerly in low Earth orbit.
During the first live sky test, NASA’s LCOT produced enough uplink intensity for the TBIRD payload to identify the laser beacon, connect, and maintain a connection to the ground station for over three minutes. This successful test marks an important achievement for laser communications: connecting LCOT’s laser beacon from Earth to TBIRD required one milliradian of pointing accuracy, the equivalent of hitting a three-foot target from over eight American football fields away.
The test was one of many laser communications achievements TBIRD made possible during its successful, two-year mission. Prior to its mission completion on Sept. 15, 2024, the payload transmitted at a record-breaking 200 gigabits per second. In an actual use case, TBIRD’s three-minute connection time with LCOT would be sufficient to return over five terabytes of critical science data, the equivalent of over 2,500 hours of high-definition video in a single pass. As the LCOT sky test demonstrates, the ultra-high-speed capabilities of laser communications will allow science missions to maintain their connection to Earth as they travel farther than ever before.
Measurement data of the power, or “fluency,” of the connection between NASA’s LCOT (Low-Cost Optical Terminal) laser beacon and TBIRD’s (TeraByte Infrared Delivery) receiver provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT-LL). LCOT and TBIRD maintained a sufficient connection for over three minutes — enough time for TBIRD to return over five terabytes of data. NASA/Dave Ryan NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program office is implementing laser communications technology in various orbits, including the upcoming Artemis II mission, to demonstrate its potential impact in the agency’s mission to explore, innovate, and inspire discovery.
“Optical, or laser, communications can transfer 10 to 100 times more data than radio frequency waves,” said Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator and SCaN program manager. “Literally, it’s the wave of the future, as it’ll enable scientists to realize an ever-increasing amount of data from their missions and will serve as our critical lifeline for astronauts traveling to and from Mars.”
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A recording of TBIRD’s (TeraByte Infrared Delivery) successful downlink from NASA’s LCOT (Low-Cost Optical Terminal) Wide Field Camera. The light saturation from the downlink caused a secondary reflection in the upper right of the video.NASA Historically, space missions have used radio frequencies to send data to and from space, but with science instruments capturing more data, communications assets must meet increasing demand. The infrared light used for laser communications transmits the data at a shorter wavelength than radio, meaning ground stations on Earth can send and receive more data per second.
The LCOT team continues to refine pointing capabilities through additional tests with NASA’s LCRD (Laser Communications Relay Demonstration). As LCOT and the agency’s other laser communications missions continue to reach new milestones in connectivity and accessibility, they demonstrate laser communications’ potential to revolutionize scientists’ access to new data about Earth, our solar system, and beyond.
“It’s a testament to the hard work and skill of the entire team,” said Dr. Haleh Safavi, project lead for LCOT. “We work with very complicated and sensitive transmission equipment that must be installed with incredible precision. These results required expeditious planning and execution at every level.”
NASA’s LCOT (Low-Cost Optical Terminal) at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, uses slightly modified commercial hardware to reduce the expense of implementing laser communications technology. NASA Experiments like TBIRD and LCRD are only two of SCaN’s multiple in-space demonstrations of laser communications, but a robust laser communications network relies on easily reconfigurable ground stations on Earth. The LCOT ground station showcases how the government and aerospace industry can build and deploy flexible laser communications ground stations to meet the needs of a wide variety of NASA and commercial missions, and how these ground stations open new doors for communications technology and extremely high data volume transmission.
NASA’s LCOT is developed by the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. TBIRD was developed in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT-LL) in Lexington. TBIRD was flown and operated as a collaborative effort among NASA Goddard; NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley; NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; MIT-LL; and Terran Orbital Corporation in Irvine, California. Funding and oversight for LCOT and other laser communications demonstrations comes from the (SCaN) Space Communications and Navigation program office within the Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
About the Author
Korine Powers
Senior Writer and Education LeadKorine Powers, Ph.D. is a writer for NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program office and covers emerging technologies, commercialization efforts, education and outreach, exploration activities, and more.
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Last Updated Oct 09, 2024 EditorKorine PowersContactKatherine Schauerkatherine.s.schauer@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
Space Communications Technology Communicating and Navigating with Missions Goddard Space Flight Center Space Communications & Navigation Program Space Operations Mission Directorate Technology Technology Demonstration View the full article
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By NASA
3 Min Read NASA’s Space Station Laser Comm Terminal Achieves First Link
NASA’s ILLUMA-T payload at Goddard Space Flight Center fully tested and integrated prior to its delivery to Kennedy Space Center. Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center A NASA technology experiment on the International Space Station completed its first laser link with an in-orbit laser relay system on Dec. 5, 2023. Together, they complete NASA’s first two-way, end-to-end laser relay system.
NASA’s LCRD (Laser Communications Relay Demonstration) and the new space station demonstration, ILLUMA-T (Integrated LCRD Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal), successfully exchanged data for the first time. LCRD and ILLUMA-T are demonstrating how a user mission, in this case the space station, can benefit from a laser communications relay located in geosynchronous orbit.
NASA’s ILLUMA-T payload communicating with LCRD over laser signals.NASA / Dave Ryan Laser communications, also known known as optical communications, uses infrared light rather than traditional radio waves to send and receive signals. The tighter wavelength of infrared light allows spacecraft to pack more data into each transmission. Using laser communications greatly increases the efficiency of data transfer and can lead to a faster pace of scientific discoveries.
The benefits of laser communications: more efficient, lighter systems, increased security, and more flexible ground systems.NASA / Dave Ryan On Nov. 9, NASA’s SpaceX 29th commercial resupply services mission launched cargo and new science experiments, including ILLUMA-T, to the space station. Following its arrival, the payload was installed onto the station’s Japanese Experiment Module-Exposed Facility.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, on the company’s 29th commercial resupply services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 8:28 p.m. EST. SpaceX ILLUMA-T and LCRD are a part of the NASA Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program’s effort to demonstrate how laser communications technologies can significantly benefit science and exploration missions.
“ILLUMA-T’s first link with LCRD – known as first light – is the latest demonstration proving that laser communications is the future.” said Dr. Jason Mitchell, director of SCaN’s Advanced Communications and Navigation Technology division. “Laser communications will not only return more data from science missions, but could serve as NASA’s critical, two-way link to keep astronauts connected to Earth as they explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”
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NASA's ILLUMA-T payload achieved First Light with LCRD. In this video, Matt Magsamen explains the First Light milestone. Shortly after space station installation, operation engineers began conducting on-orbit testing to ensure the ILLUMA-T payload operated nominally. Now, it is communicating with LCRD, a relay launched in 2021 that has conducted over 300 experiment configurations to help NASA refine laser communications technologies. LCRD and ILLUMA-T are exchanging data at 1.2 gigabits-per-second.
“We have demonstrated that we can overcome the technical challenges for successful space communications using laser communications. We are now performing operational demonstrations and experiments that will allow us to optimize our infusion of proven technology into our missions to maximize our exploration and science,” said David Israel, a NASA space communications and navigation architect.
NASA’s Laser Communications Roadmap: Demonstrating laser communications capabilities on multiple missions in a variety of space regimes.NASA/Dave Ryan The LCRD experiments are conducted with industry, academia, and other government agencies. ILLUMA-T is now LCRD’s first in-space user experiment. NASA is still accepting experiments to work with LCRD. Interested parties should contact lcrd-experiments@nasa.onmicrosoft.com for more information.
ILLUMA-T is funded by NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The payload is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Partners include the International Space Station program office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts.
For more information: https://nasa.gov/scan
About the Author
Katherine Schauer
Katherine Schauer is a writer for the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program office and covers emerging technologies, commercialization efforts, exploration activities, and more.
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Last Updated Dec 13, 2023 ContactKatherine Schauerkatherine.s.schauer@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms
Laser Communications Relay General Space Communications & Navigation Program Technology Demonstration Explore More
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By USH
The existence of elusive electrical discharges in the upper atmosphere, known by intriguing names like red sprites, blue jets, pixies, and elves, has been a subject of debate for years.
Astronaut Andreas Mogensen from the European Space Agency (ESA) recently documented rare thunder phenomena as part of the Thor-Davis experiment during his Huginn mission at the International Space Station.
Credit ESA - Learn more including video of the phenomenon
Among his remarkable captures was a red sprite, a type of Transient Luminous Event (TLE), occurring above thunderclouds at an altitude ranging from 40 to 80 kilometers. Scientists estimate the red sprite's dimensions to be approximately 14 by 26 kilometers.
In a previous instance in 2015, Mogensen also successfully recorded kilometer-wide blue flashes at an altitude of around 18 kilometers, including a pulsating blue jet reaching up to 40 kilometers.
Credit ESA - Learn more including video of the phenomenon
This atmospheric phenomenon remains poorly understood, constituting a mysterious aspect of our atmosphere. Electrical storms extending into the stratosphere not only contribute to the fascination of these events but also bear implications for our understanding of how the atmosphere shields us from radiation.View the full article
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By NASA
4 min read
NASA Glenn Helps Military Service Members Transition to Civilian Life
NASA Glenn Research Center’s Sydney Khamphoune (left) and Sam Yousef pose in front of U.S. and NASA flags.Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna John Glenn. Neil Armstrong. Buzz Aldrin. Jim Lovell. Guion Bluford. These iconic astronauts shared a commonality before they began their careers at NASA: They all served in the United States military.
NASA values veterans and their commitment to serving America, and the agency seeks to hire veterans and military spouses, offer career development opportunities, and provide meaningful resources. Each NASA center has a resource group that connects veteran employees and their families with allies, creating a support network to help them through the unique challenges they face.
“It’s a complete culture shock coming home from the military and having to relearn how to be a part of a civilian society,” said Samantha Yousef, Veterans Employee Resource Group chair at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.
Yousef organizes veteran observance events, introduces various programs focused on veteran resources to the center, and meets with group members to discuss how to improve inclusivity and potential outreach activities.
One initiative new to NASA Glenn is the Department of Defense SkillBridge program. SkillBridge gives transitioning service members an opportunity to gain civilian work experience through specific industry training, apprenticeships, or internships during their last 180 days of service.
“Many soldiers, sailors, and airmen enter the military directly out of high school or college with little to no workforce experience,” Yousef said. “They learn the importance of teamwork, leadership, and dedication to the mission at a young age. However, when it’s time to separate from the military, they’re sometimes lost in transition.”
Sydney Khamphoune is Glenn’s most recent SkillBridge fellow. Khamphoune joined the Navy after high school, and because she wanted to learn more about each job on her ship, she was classified as “undesignated.”
“Undesignated means you’re subject to the needs of the Navy, and you go wherever they need you,” Khamphoune said. “They put me into the Deck Department, so I was the person painting the side of the ship or pulling the ship in with the lines when we came into port.”
Stationed on the USS Oak Hill in Norfolk, Virginia, Khamphoune spent much of her time sweeping water off the deck of the ship and finishing work late into the night, even after her crewmates went to bed. After a year in the Deck Department, she had the opportunity to choose a new role and became a personnel specialist.
Like a human resources specialist in the civilian world, Khamphoune provided counseling related to Navy jobs and assisted with personnel transfers, separations, and retirements. She served in Virginia for five years before coming to Ohio to serve at the Department of Defense’s Defense Finance and Accounting Service.
She served in the Navy for nine years before deciding it was time to separate. In her Transition Assistance Program — a program that offers support for service members separating from the military — she learned about the SkillBridge program.
Sydney Khamphoune is NASA Glenn Research Center’s most recent SkillBridge fellow.Credit: NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna. “I saw NASA on the list and immediately applied,” Khamphoune said. “I wasn’t going to apply anywhere else. It was NASA or bust.”
Khamphoune was thrilled to receive a phone call — on her birthday, no less — from NASA assigning her to Glenn’s Procurement Office. In this role, she assists contracting officers, including those that work on contracts for construction or janitorial services, with their daily tasks.
“I’m learning so much. I came in with no knowledge, and now I can help the contracting officers,” Khamphoune said. “One contracting officer had a massive list of obligations to complete, and I offered to help. He trained me for two days, and then I knocked out the whole list.”
Khamphoune still thinks back to when she first enlisted in the Navy and appreciates where that journey has taken her.
“I never imagined being at NASA right now, and since I’ve been here, I’ve gained a lot more confidence,” Khamphoune said. “The environment they’re creating here is great. It doesn’t matter if you’re new or have been here for a while — your opinion has value, and you can bring something new to the table. I feel like this experience is precious and personal because I’m finding out who I am in a different way.”
Learn more about SkillBridge and the many routes to a NASA internship.
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By USH
On October 23, 2023, an unusual event unfolded in the skies above Northwestern and Eastwestern Ohio, leaving residents perplexed.
Initially, attention was drawn to a mysterious white object descending through the daytime sky above Eastwestern Ohio which was obviously not a conventional aircraft, helicopter, drone, or meteor, the orb-like nature of this white object fueled speculation.
Soon after, a second swiftly moving object emerged above Northwestern Ohio, changing direction which means the object is under intelligent control. Adding to the intrigue, a sudden and thunderous sonic boom echoed through the air, further intensifying the mystery.
The first white object remains unexplained. Regarding the second unidentified entity, MrMBB333 proposed a hypothesis involving a potential crash into the Earth. However, alternative theories circulated, with some speculating that the resounding sonic boom might have been the result of a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier. Nonetheless, this theory lacks conclusive evidence.
Whatever these two objects were, their presence in the sky constituted a highly uncommon occurrence, capturing the attention of onlookers on that October day.
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