A high-definition video with the message, “Hello, World!” travelled 260 miles from space to reach the Earth on June 5,2014, according to NASA. The space agency successfully beamed the footage from the International Space Station, or ISS, using a new laser technology, in an attempt to explore better ways of communication from the orbit and beyond. This new technology will replace slower radiowave technology for faster communication.According to NASA, the existing space communications rely on radio waves to transmit data, while more advanced tools such as OPALS are based on laser energy, which helps them achieve data rates between 10 and 10,000 times higher than the current communication infrastructure.
“Because the space station orbits Earth at 17,500 mph, transmitting data from the space station to Earth requires extremely precise targeting,” NASA said in the statement. “The process can be equated to a person aiming a laser pointer at the end of a human hair 30 feet away and keeping it there while walking.”
