NASA Creating Laser Communication System For Mars 104
techtribune writes "NASA is in the process of developing a new technology under project Laser Communications Relay Demonstration or LCRD which will allow them to provide faster means of communications from Mars. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) currently can only send at speeds of around 6 Mbps or about like a DSL modem here on Earth. At this rate, it can take upwards to 90 minutes to transmit a single high resolution image to Earth from Mars. With the MRO outfitted with the new technology it would be able to transmit the same high resolution image back to Earth at over 100 Mbps and only taking about 5 minutes to do so."
Re:What about dropped packets? (Score:4, Interesting)
eeek.
I expect that they use LDPCC, not Reed-Solomon error correction these days. Good LPCCCs get amazingly close to the shannon limit. Just crank down the rate a bit and watch the BER disappear.
GigE and greater also use LDPCC.