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Questions tagged [laser]

Questions regarding devices which emit focused beams of electromagnetic energy.

7 votes
2 answers
157 views

Would a laser seismometer work from lunar orbit?

Lasers today have become extremely sensible, they can detect sub-millimeter movements of a surface from a distance. Could this feature be exploited to create a lunar seismometer working from a probe ...
FluidCode's user avatar
  • 191
15 votes
2 answers
2k views

How do the interferometers on the drag-free satellite LISA receive power without altering their geodesic trajectory?

LISA is a proposed space probe designed to measure gravitational waves. It aims to measure gravitational waves directly by using laser interferometry. It uses a drag-free satellite design to protect ...
Woody's user avatar
  • 22.8k
5 votes
1 answer
316 views

Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) - from what distance could a flashlight be detected by a space-based telescope

Flight laser transmitter - for Psyche mission has Mass 29 kg (100 W). It also requires pointing up to 3 degrees of the Sun (towards the receiver telescope). My question is about really small probes (...
TheMatrix Equation-balance's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
252 views

Has anyone in space beyond LEO seen or has anything photographed a non-pointer laser from Earth?

The two current answers to Has anyone in space seen or photographed a simple laser pointer from Earth? both describe small, low power lasers from Earth aimed towards the ISS in LEO. Here I'd like to ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
3 votes
1 answer
131 views

Precise Orbit Determination (POD) vs GNSS accuracy; seeking references

Precise orbit determination provides performances that are not currently achievable with GNSS systems. I cannot find information of the reason for this. I imagine different possibilities: Use of ...
AUP's user avatar
  • 51
2 votes
1 answer
139 views

Transmit power for low/high wavelength [closed]

I am reading the book: Kaushal, H., Jain, V.K. and Kar, S., 2017. Free space optical communication. New Delhi: Springer India. I have asked before about a reason of choice of wavelength for beacon ...
Noel Miller's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
496 views

What are the reasons for the specific operating wavelengths chosen for laser communication?

I am reading the book: Kaushal, H., Jain, V.K. and Kar, S., 2017, Free space optical communication, New Delhi: Springer India. The operating wavelengths for beacon and data transmission were discussed....
Noel Miller's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
148 views

Beacon (PAT) in optical free space communication [closed]

Nanosatellite Optical Downlink Experiment (NODE) mission has 3 "signal":downlink, beacon uplink and RF. According to a description of the mission, the high-rate downlink and beacon uplink ...
Anna Koroleva's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
247 views

Frequency/Spectrum regulation document for laser communication

For RF we have the frequency allocation table, where the RF spectrum is regulated. Optical has big bandwidth, there is a lot of frequency space. How do we regulate optical spectrum? I didnt find any ...
Adil.Kolenko's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
473 views

Receiver and transmitter in RF/optic satellite communication: distance vs data rate v2

The first version of this question is here. I have read the article "Optical communications work best over relatively short distances in space." by Toyoshima, M., Leeb, W., Kunimori, H. and ...
Adil.Kolenko's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
676 views

Have "space lasers" really been used to temporarily blind US satellites?

In CNN's video An exclusive look into how Space Force is defending America they talk with Gen. John W. Raymond, Chief of Space Operations, US Space Force. After about ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
3 votes
1 answer
241 views

Small probes to Alpha Centauri powered by light sails with a journey time of 20 years

This news item states that scientists have potentially devised a way to send a number of small probes to Alpha Centauri at quarter the speed of light. The journey would take 20 years and each small ...
Fred's user avatar
  • 13.1k
2 votes
1 answer
84 views

Did Perseverance get an experimental optical communications terminal?

The video Donald Cornwell plenary talk: NASA's Optical Communications Program: 2015 and Beyond was presented at SPIE Photonics West 2015. It's a great talk and worth the time. Near the end at about <...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
3 votes
1 answer
104 views

How did LADEE and LDRC measure it's distance from Lunar orbit to Earth to 1 centimeter accuracy using optical communications?

The video Donald Cornwell plenary talk: NASA's Optical Communications Program: 2015 and Beyond was presented at SPIE Photonics West 2015. It's a great talk and worth the time. LADEE had [the Laser ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 148k
5 votes
2 answers
213 views

Using lasers to reach the Karman line

I've just seen this Anton Petrov video: New Type of Laser Levitation Could Help Us Explore the Mesosphere. It's about this new form of levitation that uses lasers to heat up the air underneath a craft,...
R. Hall's user avatar
  • 822

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