In this article, an overall plan for the development and demonstration of optical communications for deep-space applications was presented. The plan builds on the foundation established by the past 10 years of NASA technology development and systems study activities at, or sponsored by, JPL. Past and currently ongoing activities were described first. Then the development plan, consisting of both systems demonstration level and supporting technology portions, was presented. The plan covers the path from laboratory subsystem demonstrations out to a full-scale flight-experiment system on the Mars communication relay orbiter mission and selected technology developments needed for an eventual 300-Mbps link form Mars. The path includes technology demonstrations of a spaceborne technology demonstration system. Key decision points were flagged. Optical communications are expected to provide many capabilities complementary to the currently used rf communications, and to enable many of the more ambitious data communications scenarios of the space exploration initiative.


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    Title :

    A plan for the development and demonstration of optical commincations for deep space


    Additional title:

    Ein Plan für die Entwicklung und Demonstration optischer Nachrichtenübertragungen für den weiten (tiefen) Raum


    Contributors:
    Lesh, J.R. (author) / Deutsch, L.J. (author) / Weber, W.J. (author)


    Publication date :

    1991


    Size :

    9 Seiten, 2 Bilder, 13 Quellen



    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English