Interplanetary Lasers
Illustrating the current communications problem Cost advantages of optical solution Reasons for an Australian involvement
Exploration of Mars Highlights the communications problem Long term and substantial past and continuing international investment
Exploration of Mars 1960 Two Soviet flyby attempts 1962 Two more Soviet flyby attempts, Mars 1 1964 Mariner 3, Zond 2 1965 Mariner 4 (first flyby images) 1969 Mariners 6 and 7 1971 Mariners 8 and 9 1971 Kosmos 419, Mars 2 & 3 1973 Mars 4, 5, 6 & 7 (first landers) 1975 Viking 1, 1976 Viking 2
Exploration of Mars 1988 Phobos 1 and 2 1992 Mars Observer 1996 Mars 96 1998 Nozomi 1999 Climate Orbiter, Polar Lander and Deep Space 2 2001 Mars Odyssey
Planned Mars Exploration 2003 Mars Express 2004 Mars Exploration Rovers 2005 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter 2007+ Scout Missions 2007 2014 Sample Return
Interplanetary Communication Radio (microwave) links, spacecraft to Earth Newer philosophy - communications relay (Mars Odyssey, MGS) Sensible network topology 25-W X-band (Ka-band experimental) <100 kbps downlink
Communications Bottleneck Current missions capable of collecting much more data than downlink capabilities (2000%!) Currently planned missions make the problem 10x worse Future missions likely to collect ever-greater volumes of data
Communications Bottleneck
Communications Bottleneck NASA presently upgrading DSN NASA's perception of the problem is such that they are considering an array of 3600 twelve-metre dishes to accommodate currently foreseen communications needs for Mars alone
Communications Energy Budget
Communications Energy Budget
Communications Energy Budget
Optical communications networks
Long-term Solution Optical communications networks
Long-term Solution Optical communications networks Advantages over radio Higher modulation rates More directed energy Analagous to fibre optics vs. copper cables
Lasers in Space
Lasers in Space Laser transmitter in Martian orbit with large aperture telescope
Lasers in Space Laser transmitter in Martian orbit with large aperture telescope Receiving telescope on or near Earth Preliminary investigations suggest ~100Mbps achievable on 10 to 20 year timescale Enabling technologies require accelerated development
Key Technologies Suitable lasers Optical detectors Cost-effective large-aperture telescopes Atmospheric properties Space-borne telescopes
Optical spacecraft comms ESA have already run intersatellite test NASA/JPL and Japan presently researching the concept and expect space-ground communications tests in the near future
An Australian Role Australian organisations have unique capabilities in the key technologies required for deep space optical communications links Existing DSN involvement High-power, high beam quality lasers Holographic correction of large telescopes Telescope-based instrumentation Telescope tracking and guiding
The University of Adelaide Optics Group, Department of Physics and Mathematical Physics - High power, high beam quality, scalable laser transmitter technology
- Holographic mirror correction
- Presently developing high power lasers and techniques for high optical power interferometry for the US Advanced LIGO detectors
Anglo-Australian Observatory Telescope technology Pointing and tracking systems Atmospheric transmission (seeing, refraction) Cryogenic and low noise detectors Narrowband filter technology
Australian Centre for Space Photonics Manage a portfolio of research projects in the key technologies for an interplanetary optical communications link Work in close collaboration with overseas organizations such as NASA and JPL
Australian Centre for Space Photonics Take advantage of unique Australian capabilities Australian technology critical to deep space missions Continued important role in space
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