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NASA Probe Blasts 461 Gigabytes of Moon Data Daily

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the thats-a-lotta-bits dept.

coondoggie writes "On its current space scouting mission, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is using a pumped up communications device to deliver 461 gigabytes of data and images per day, at a rate of up to 100 Mbps. As the first high data rate K-band transmitter to fly on a NASA spacecraft, the 13-inch-long tube, called a Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier, is making it possible for NASA scientists to receive massive amounts of images and data about the moon's surface and environment. The amplifier was built by L-3 Communications Electron Technologies in conjunction with NASA's Glenn Research Center. The device uses electrodes in a vacuum tube to amplify microwave signals to high power. It's ideal for sending large amounts of data over a long distance because it provides more power and more efficiency than its alternative, the transistor amplifier, NASA stated." It kills me that the moon has better bandwidth than my house.

3 of 203 comments (clear)

  1. This is not exactly a new device... by Manuka · · Score: 5, Informative

    Traveling Wave Tubes have been a mainstay of microwave communications and radar systems for the better part of a century. They're a very efficient way of amplifying microwave signals to the very high power levels needed to cross long distances.

  2. Re:Vacuum Tube? by Andy+Dodd · · Score: 5, Informative

    When you need to make serious power, tubes are still the way to go. Transistors have a significant reliability benefit.

    Also, for 99% of applications, transistors are better. For the other 1%, you have very application-specific tube designs such as TWTs and magnetrons, which rearrange the tubes in such a manner as to negate its usual disadvantage (large size USUALLY translates to nasty frequency limits - TWTs and magnetrons are exceptions that use various Neat Tricks to allow microwave operation from a large device.)

    BTW, one of the other common microwave tubes (magnetrons), while it is a "niche" device, it is a VERY widely deployed niche - basically all microwave ovens use magnetron tubes.

    --
    retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
  3. Re:Insane by CecilPL · · Score: 5, Informative

    Actually 10base is 10Mbps, or 1.25 MB/s.

    5.46MB/s is close to half of a 100BaseT.