An Interplanetary Laser Communications System 303
caffiend666 writes "A news article at Yahoo states NASA is planning on testing the first laser-based interplanetary communications system on the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter to be launched in 2009. 'Unlike radio frequency signals that wash over the entire Earth, Fitzgerald and his colleagues will be shooting for a much smaller target - the southwestern corner of the United States.' Does this mean we will soon have telescopes outside of our homes soon to pick up high definition TV signals instead of our current 18 inch dishes?"
It's eventual use. (Score:5, Funny)
Mars - 'Hey'
Earth -
Mars - '...'
Earth - 'a/s/l?'
obligatory austin powers misquote (Score:5, Funny)
That's going to make for... (Score:4, Funny)
LOL!!!!!! (Score:1, Funny)
Yes!!!! I get it!!! This is a joke in English!!!! Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!! I am laughing at the joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a good day friends!!!!!!! Let as laugh together like old comrades!!!!!
Women (Score:5, Funny)
The obvious thing to say is... (Score:5, Funny)
Answered ... (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Time to do the wash (Score:2, Funny)
Yes. I've even taken pictures with radio telescopes, although not of the Aricebo facility. I've got an invisible light laser hanging around the place in some drawer or other too.
I've never been to Aricebo myself, but my mother has. She took pictures of it, in visible light.
Just a big version of what you got on your house.
My house is not so bedecked.
KFG
Re:4.3 Gigabytes (Score:5, Funny)
Your seek time will be astronomical!
Hmm... (Score:2, Funny)
The benefits of lasers (Score:4, Funny)
Ninjas also benefit from lasers ovbiously.
Re:Time to do the wash (Score:5, Funny)
Obligatory (Score:2, Funny)
Why I'm a strong advocate of oxygen rationing.. (Score:4, Funny)
Warning: Do not look into the laser (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Huh? (Score:2, Funny)
Yeah, that one lasted until the RIAA sponsored hunters to take down their illegal filesharing network.
What the? (Score:3, Funny)
What kind of asinine question is this? I love it when someone makes themself look like a fucking moron trying to ask some insightful question in their article submission in a thinly veiled attempt at having their submission accepted.
Of course we aren't going to soon use optics for TV distribution. It makes no sense. If a TV station were going to go out of their way to build a transmitter just to serve the house at 123 Any Street, that would be one thing, but TV stations want, and are required by law, to serve as many people as possible. Also, how does it make sense to use this hypothetical optical wide distribution scheme in an atmosphere that is detrimental to the transmission method? You think your dish TV gets bad in thunderstorms? Just wait until the fog rolls in on your laser receiver.
Sheesh, the really sad thing is that freakin' timothy couldn't be bothered to exercise an iota of critical thinking skills on this one... fucking christ...
Let the modding down begin...
A better ideea (Score:1, Funny)
The Laser are too dangerous because it could cut the Earth in pieces (at least that I have seen on some Movies).
It's destininy (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Time to do the wash (Score:3, Funny)
2. Merge the phase-shifted tachyons with the original tachyon beam to create an artificial zero-point warp field, which will attract the depolarized cronoton particles.
3.
4. Profit!