Communication Infrastructure for Lunar and Planetary Exploration
- Paper number
IAC-07-B2.2.02
- Author
Mrs. Sarah Huffman, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Ames Research Center, United States
- Coauthor
Dr. Brian Glass, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Ames Research Center, United States
- Year
2007
- Abstract
A reasonable extension of current plans for a lunar or Martian base is having parallel deployments. Doing this will require communication technologies that provide a network between these locations, with Earth and to remote teams. Current methods of setting up reliable high-speed networks are largely based on physical connections; cables of copper, fibre and other materials running between locations. The infrastructure and materials required for initial creation of these sorts of networks are enormous and costly, the skills and time required from people are just as problematic in the tightly resourced environment of early exploration. Also a problem is the amount of damage this can cause to the surface. Research is currently being done on long-distance radio data. When these technologies are used in remote locations such as planetary analogue sites, space-based communication is often used to link the site to the rest of the internet (and, thus, the communication infrastructure for most of Earth). Many current technologies are limited by line-of-sight requirements, by interruptions in service (often caused by weather, power issues, etc), by the time required for initial set up, and by limits in range, among other things. Each of these limitations precludes current technologies as a long-term solution for the network requirements of remote team and base-to-base communication. Focused development can lead to meeting the needs of these unique situations, as well as improving terrestrial communications networks to remote areas and communities. Examples of specific areas of research and development include: improvement of compression algorithms, low power radio solutions, self-healing and hardened systems and mesh networks.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-07-B2.2.02.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.