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The space internet is full of cats [1]

['Gail Sherman']

Date: 2024-07-13

NASA is testing a new laser communication system to more efficiently send large amounts of data to and from space. In the time-honored tradition of the terrestrial internet, the first images sent were cats—actually cats, dogs, birds, chickens, cows, snakes, pigs, and more.

Image: NASA

Using NASA's first two-way, end-to-end laser relay system, pictures and videos of cherished pets flew through space over laser communications links at a rate of 1.2 gigabits per second — faster than most home internet speeds. NASA

Historically, NASA has used radio frequency communication, but infrared allows them to pack more information into the transmission. A previous test of laser communications inspired the use of images and videos of pets. In a demonstration last year, a video of Taters the Cat, whose human was a Jet Propulsion Lab employee, was transmitted over 19 million miles back to Earth from NASA's Psyche orbiter.

I hope this trend continues and that all future NASA test communications utilize pets. Photos, videos, meows — the possibilities are endless, and everyone loves showing off their pets.

Previously: Elegy for Ingenuity, a tiny helicopter

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