Audience
Educators
Grade Levels
Grades 5-8, Grades 9-12
Subject
Computer Science, Mathematics, Technology
Type
Hands-on Activities, Interactive Multimedia, Lesson Plans / Activities
Communicating with spacecraft across the solar system means sending data over enormous distances, with travel times limited by the speed of light. Presently, we communicate with spacecraft via light in the form of radio waves.
The increasing volume and complexity of data is outpacing the number of radio antennas in the network. So engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory are exploring the use of a different frequency of light for spacecraft communications.
In this intermediate-level programming activity, students will learn about light, mirrors, and optics while modeling a new technique NASA is using to communicate with spacecraft. Students will use microdevices along with light and mirrors to build a relay that can send information to a distant detector and program their detector to indicate when data is being received.