>>> SCIENTISTS ARE WORKING ON HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM.
DA
DA DASHA BURNS.
DASHA BURNS. >>> ONCE YOU HAVE PEOPLE ON THE
SURFACE OF MARS AND PEOPLE ON
THE OUTER PLANETS YOU’RE GOING
TO START THINKING ABOUT HOW DO
YOU CALL HOME.
♪
♪ >> MOST PEOPLE THINK ABOUT
X-RAYS.
X-RAYS. THEY THINK ABOUT HOSPITAL ROOMS
AND BROKEN BONES.
THEY DON’T THINK ABOUT
COMMUNICATION USING X-RAYS.
WALK ME THROUGH WHAT WE’RE GOING
TO SEE HERE.
>> LET ME PUT ON THE SPEAKER.
AND WE’VE GOT STATIC, BUT NOW
THE MUSIC IS TURNING ON.
>> IT SOUNDS LIKE A REALLY BAD
RECORD PLAYER.
RECORD PLAYER. SO YOU’RE TRANSMITTING THIS
MUSIC THROUGH AN X-RAY.
>> THROUGH X-RAYS.
>> FOR MOST PEOPLE YOU WOULD
NEVER THINK THAT AN X-RAY CAN BE
USED TO ACTUALLY SEND SOMETHING.
THAT’S REALLY COOL.
IT
IT >> IT’S JUST ANOTHER FORM OF
RADIATION.
RADIATION. IT’S A SHORTER WAVE LENGTH.
IF YOU CAN CONTROL IT YOU CAN DO
EVERYTHING YOU CAN DO WITH OTHER
RADIATION.
RADIATION. >> INTERESTING.
>> INTERESTING. COOL.
COOL. YEAH.
YEAH. >> WE’VE DEMONSTRATED WE CAN
CONTROL X-RAYS IN A REALLY KIND
OF ARBITRARY WAY WITH JUST
MUSIC.
MUSIC. WE CAN DO ACTUALLY MUCH MORE
SOPHISTICATED THINGS.
SOPHISTICATED THINGS. >> THIS IS THE ORIGIN STORY.
>> THIS IS THE ORIGIN STORY OF
WHAT WE’RE DOING NOW.
>> HOW IS THIS TRANSMITTING A
SONG THROUGH X-RAY RELEVANT TO
WHAT YOU’RE TRYING TO DO WITH
X-RAY TODAY.
X-RAY TODAY. >> ONCE YOU CONTROL THE OUTPUT,
YOU CAN REALIZE THE POTENTIAL IN
A COUPLE OF WAYS.
YOU CAN DIRECT THE X-RAYS
EXACTLY WHERE YOU WANT AND IN
VERY LONG DISTANCES THAT MEANS
YOU SPEND LESS POWER FROM SAY
PLUTO AND JUPITER TO THE EARTH
THAN YOU WOULD OTHERWISE.
IF YOU HAVE A VERY HIGH ENERGY
X-RAY, THERE ARE SOME OTHER
THINGS YOU CAN DO THAT ARE KIND
OF INTERESTING.
OF INTERESTING. DID YOU EVER WATCH THE APOLLO 13
MOVIE?
MOVIE? >> YES.
>> YES. >> THEY WENT AROUND THE MOON AND
THEY’RE GETTING READY TO REENTER
AND THERE’S LIKE THREE MINUTES
OF TIME WHERE THEY DON’T KNOW --
THAT’S CALLED THE RADIO
FREQUENCY BLAST OUT.
THE THING’S GOING AT LIKE 20,000
MILES AN HOUR, HEATING UP THE
ATMOSPHERE.
ATMOSPHERE. THAT MAKES THE PLASMA AROUND THE
SPACECRAFT --
SPACECRAFT -- >> THE TIME WHEN THE ASTRONAUTS
WERE EXPECTED TO COME OUT OF
BLACKOUT HAS COME AND GONE.
>> THE X-RAYS WILL PENETRATE
THAT PLASMA.
THAT PLASMA. SO VEHICLES THAT ARE GOING AT
HYPER SONIC SPEED, IF YOU WANTED
TO COMMUNICATE TO CONTROL THEM
OR GET INFORMATION FROM THEM AS
THEY’RE GOING AT HYPERSONIC
SPEED, X-RAYS COULD BE A WAY OF
DOING THAT.
DOING THAT. IF WE GO OUT OF THE SOLAR
SYSTEM, WE’RE GOING TO NEED
TECHNOLOGY TO COMMUNICATE.
I THINK X-RAY COMMUNICATION
MIGHT BE IN THE CARDS.
IT’S HOW WE GET THE MOST DATA
BACK TO EARTH.
FOR INSTANCE, GOOGLE IS VERY
FORWARD THINKING.
FORWARD THINKING. WE HAD IN OUR LABORATORY ONE OF
THE VICE PRESIDENTS OF GOOGLE
AND ONE OF THE GUYS WHO FOUNDED
THE INTERNET.
THE INTERNET. GOOGLE IS THINKING ABOUT
INTERPLANETARY INTERNET, WHAT
ARE THE TECHNOLOGIES THAT WE
NEED TO ENABLE THAT.
AND YOU START THINKING ABOUT HOW
YOU GET SO MANY GIGABITS PER
SECOND.
SECOND. THEY HAVE TO BE THINKING ABOUT
IT.
IT. WE’RE ABOUT TO HAVE PEOPLE GO TO
MARS SOME TIME IN THE NEXT 10-20
YEARS.
YEARS. ELON MUSK MIGHT HAVE IT EVEN
SOONER.
SOONER. I DON’T KNOW.
ONCE YOU HAVE PEOPLE ON THE
SURFACE OF MARS AND PEOPLE ON
THE OUTER PLANETS YOU’RE GOING
TO START THINKING ABOUT HOW DO
YOU CALL HOME.
IT’S NOT JUST PICKING UP YOUR
PHONE AND HAVING A CONVERSATION.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO SEND VIDEO.
YOU WANT TO SEND LOTS OF STUFF.