NASA uses laser to send video of a cat named Taters over 19 million miles

SUMMARY

NASA has successfully transmitted ultra-high definition video of a cat named Taters from nearly 19 million miles away using a laser. The video was sent as an experiment for NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications, with the goal of enabling future human missions beyond Earth's orbit. The video was uploaded to NASA's Psyche asteroid probe and transmitted using a flight laser transceiver to the Hale Telescope at Caltech's Palomar Observatory in California. This achievement marks a historic milestone for NASA and could pave the way for greater communication capability from deep space, essential for future exploration and science goals. The video, featuring an orange tabby named Taters, was chosen to make the event more memorable and to highlight the historic connection between cats and television. This is the first time laser transmission has been deployed in deep space, and it required precise engineering to overcome technical hurdles.

REFERENCES

• NASA uses laser to send video of a cat named Taters over 19 million miles(original source)
• Meow from Mars: NASA streams cat video using lazer from Pysche spacecraft 30 million km away(original source)
• NASA Has Beamed The First High-Def Video Across 19 Million Miles. Featuring a Cat.(original source)
• NASA just used lasers to stream an ultra-HD cat video from deep space. Watch the clip, which took just 101 seconds to travel 19 million miles.(original source)
• NASA streams first ultra-HD video from deep space via laser(original source)
• NASA Streams Cat Video From Deep, Deep Space(original source)
• NASA’s Tech Demo Streams First Video From Deep Space via Laser(original source)