>>VIC MICOLUCCI: IT’S OUT OF THIS WORLD. NASA IS LAUNCHING A NEW MISSION THAT COULD
REVOLUTIONIZE HOW WE TALK WITH
FUTURE MISSIONS IN SPACE,
INCLUDING THE MOON, MARS AND
BEYOND THE LASER
COMMUNICATIONS RELAY
DEMONSTRATION WILL LAUNCH FROM
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER JUST A
COUPLE HOURS SOUTH OF US ON
SUNDAY MORNING. IF ALL GOES
ACCORDING TO PLAN, OF COURSE,
HERE TO TALK ABOUT THIS AND
BREAK IT DOWN, NASA EXPERT
CRYSTAL JOHNSON. GOOD MORNING
TO YOU. GOOD MORNING. ALL
RIGHT. SO WE LOVE TALKING
ABOUT SCIENCE, BUT WE GOT TO
FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT, YOU
KNOW, SIMPLE IN TV TERMS RIGHT
HERE. SO WHAT THIS MEAN? IT’S
ALL ABOUT GETTING BETTER WITH
COMMUNICATING BACK AND FORTH
OUTER SPACE, RIGHT?
>>LENA PRINGLE: YES, THAT IS.
IT’S A VERY EXCITING
TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION. AND
IT’S REALLY JUST GOING FROM
THE RADIO FREQUENCY TECH. NO
WAY THAT WE COMMUNICATE TODAY
TO COMMUNICATING THROUGH LASER
LIGHT AND THE WAY THAT YOU CAN
THINK ABOUT IT. THIS IS LIKE A
PIPE RIGHT NOW. THE PIPE IS
ABOUT THIS BIG TO GET ALL OF
THE DATA THAT WE COLLECT DOWN
TO EARTH. SO RIGHT NOW, WHEN
YOU TAKE A VIDEO, THE VIDEO IS
VERY GRAINY AND IT’S HARD TO
SEE BECAUSE YOU CAN’T HAVE
HIGH DEFINITION BECAUSE HIGH
DEFINITION MEANS YOU NEED TO
SEND A LOT OF DATA BACK DOWN
SO THAT YOU CAN GET ALL THE
DETAILS. LASER COMMUNICATION
IS GOING TO TAKE THAT PIPE
FROM THIS BIG TO TEND TO 100
TIMES BIGGER. SO WE’RE GOING
TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A LOT MORE
DATA PACKED INTO THOSE SMALL
LITTLE CHUNKS AND THE WAY THAT
YOU CAN IN THIS. IT IS LIKE
THE GOOGLE MAPS. IF WE DID A
GOOGLE MAP OF ALL OF MARS, IT
WOULD TAKE US RIGHT NOW WITH
THE CURRENT RADIO FREQUENCY TO
TAKE US 9 WEEKS TO GET THAT
GOOGLE MAP BACK DOWN TO EARTH
FROM IF WE WERE USING LASER
COMMUNICATION, IT WOULD TAKE
US ONLY 9 DAYS VERSUS 9 WEEKS.
SO A LOT MORE DATA COMING BACK
DOWN. WE’LL BE ABLE TO
HIGH-DEFINITION VIDEOS HAVE
SMALLER POWER REQUIREMENTS,
SMALLER SIZE REQUIREMENTS. SO
PLANNING FOR THE MISSIONS FOR
THE FUTURE. WE CAN DO SO MUCH
MORE
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: FOR IN THE
FUTURE. ALL RIGHT. IT’S ABOUT
MORE BANDWIDTH. AND THEN
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO ABLE SEE
THE DETAILS AS NASA CONTINUES
TO EXPLORE THINGS THAT I’VE
NEVER BEEN EXPLORED BEFORE.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THAT’S EXACTLY
RIGHT.
>>VIC MICOLUCCI: AND THAT
MEANS WE’RE GOING TO BE HIGH
DEFINITION MARTIANS,
POTENTIALLY. I’M JUST KIDDING.
I’M NOT GOING MAKE YOU CONFIRM
GIVE ME OKAY. I WANT TO TALK
ABOUT HOW IS THIS GOING TO
CHANGE THE WAY THAT WE
COMMUNICATE BECAUSE WE’RE JUST
REALLY SEEING THE SPACE MOST
SPACE RACE ONCE AGAIN
FLOURISH.
>> YES, SO IT’S GOING TO IT’S
GOING TO HELP US IN SO MANY
WAYS. ONE WAY IN PARTICULAR IS
TO KEEP THE ASTRONAUTS SAFE
BECAUSE WE’RE REALLY TALKING
ABOUT HAVING A SUSTAINABLE
PRESENCE ON THE SURFACE OF NOT
JUST GOING AND VISITING AND
COMING RIGHT BACK. HOME. BUT
HAVING A SUSTAINED PRESENCE ON
THE MOON IN PREPARATION FOR
BEING ABLE TO HAVE A
SUSTAINABLE PRESENCE ON MARS.
SO EVEN SIMPLE THINGS LIKE THE
SUN, THE SUN HAS THE SOLAR
FLARES THAT COME OUT OF THE
SUN. AND WITH THAT COMES ALL
THIS RADIATION THAT YOU THINK
ABOUT GOING TO THE DENTIST AND
GETTING YOUR YOUR TEETH, YOU
KNOW, THE RADIATION DOWN WHERE
THEY HAVE TO PUT THE CAPE
OVER. YOU. IMAGINE THAT LIKE A
BILLION TIMES MORE THE
RADIATION THAT YOU’RE GOING TO
BE EXPOSED TO, IT WOULD
ACTUALLY KILL THE ASTRONAUTS
ON THE SURFACE IF THEY WERE
NOT PROTECTED FROM THE
RADIATION THAT COMES FROM
THESE CORONA, MASS EJECTIONS
OR SOLAR FLARES. SO WE WILL
HAVE LASER COMMUNICATION THAT
WILL BE ABLE TO WATCH WHAT’S
HAPPENING TO THE SUN
MONITORING WHEN WE’RE HAVING
THESE EVENTS THAT ARE
HAPPENING ON THE SUN. SEND
THAT LARGE AMOUNT OF DATA TO A
RELAY AND THEN DOWN TO THE
SURFACE WHERE THE ASH NOT WILL
HAVE A HANDHELD DEVICE OR A
HEADS-UP VISOR THAT WILL BE
ABLE TO SAY. THIS EVENT IS
HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. AND
YOU’VE GOT X MINUTES TO BE
ABLE TO GET TO A PLACE OF
SAFETY. AND SO YOU’LL KNOW SO
MUCH MORE ABOUT WHAT’S
HAPPENING BECAUSE SO MUCH MORE
DATA CAN COME DOWN THROUGH
THOSE PIPES TO BE ABLE TO HELP
KEEP OUR ASTRONAUTS SAFE.
THAT’S JUST ONE SMALL EXAMPLE.
ALL RIGHT. SO REALLY KEEPING
UP WITH THE TIMES WE’VE SEEN
SUCH A DRAMATIC CHANGE WITH
OUR SMARTPHONES. SO NOW.
>>LENA PRINGLE: BASICALLY THAT
SMART TECHNOLOGY IS BEING
TAKEN TO OUTER SPACE. SO WE
DON’T HAVE TO BE LIKE.
>> HEY, CAN YOU HEAR ME THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME THIS
MORNING. I’M ABOUT MARTIANS.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT, WE REALLY
ENJOY WE HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT
REALLY ONCE AGAIN, THAT
MISSION IS SET TO TAKE PLACE
ON SUNDAY MORNING FROM CAPE