- "This is the first time anyone has achieved one-way laser communication at planetary distances," says LOLA's principal investigator, David Smith of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "In the near future, this type of simple laser communication might serve as a backup for the radio communication that satellites use. In the more distant future, it may allow communication at higher data rates than present radio links can provide."
thenewgreen:
Radio frequency is dead. Long live lasers!
Pretty cool stuff. They mention that it will be 10 to 100 x's faster, that's pretty remarkable. The purists out there will still want RF though, laser just ins't the same man...
posted 4108 days ago