Saturday, February 14, 2004
I Want The Wireless Technology The Rovers Have
Posted by Ed Hansberry in "THOUGHT" @ 01:00 PM
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4202901/
"NASA upgraded the bandwidth connection to its pokey twin Mars rovers, a boost that will allow scientists to send and receive data like pictures more quickly, a mission manager said Friday. The rate is now nearly five times the speed of home dial-up Internet connections."
These things are roughly 48,000,000 miles from here (73,000,000 km) and they are talking at ~265kpbs! 8O I can't get much better than 28kpbs with my GPRS connection. Forget cell phones. If NASA can do this with devices on Mars, I say turn the wireless technology on Earth over to them. They gave us Velcro, Teflon and pens that write upside down, they can give us ubiquitous fast wireless technology too!
I found the above image on a site about the wireless technology in the rovers, but I suspect it is a fake. Yes, it has the annoying bluetooth flashing light, but I just don't think bluetooth has the range. Although, the whole flash memory problem a few weeks ago with Spirit may have been a coverup. Maybe Spirit just wasn't bonding properly.
"NASA upgraded the bandwidth connection to its pokey twin Mars rovers, a boost that will allow scientists to send and receive data like pictures more quickly, a mission manager said Friday. The rate is now nearly five times the speed of home dial-up Internet connections."
These things are roughly 48,000,000 miles from here (73,000,000 km) and they are talking at ~265kpbs! 8O I can't get much better than 28kpbs with my GPRS connection. Forget cell phones. If NASA can do this with devices on Mars, I say turn the wireless technology on Earth over to them. They gave us Velcro, Teflon and pens that write upside down, they can give us ubiquitous fast wireless technology too!
I found the above image on a site about the wireless technology in the rovers, but I suspect it is a fake. Yes, it has the annoying bluetooth flashing light, but I just don't think bluetooth has the range. Although, the whole flash memory problem a few weeks ago with Spirit may have been a coverup. Maybe Spirit just wasn't bonding properly.
