Dr_Evil
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A laser communications experiment flying on NASA's newest moon probe is now a record holder.
The Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration (LLCD) — a technology test flying on NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer spacecraft, or LADEE — has set a record for the fastest download rate between the moon and Earth.
LADEE recently began a month-long checkout period at the moon that included testing the communications demonstration, a system that employs laser technology instead of radio wave transmissions. Using a pulsed laser beam, the instrument sent data 239,000 miles (384,633 kilometers) home to Earth at the relatively speedy download rate of 622 megabits per second. The test also showed an "error-free upload rate" of 20 megabits per second from the primary ground station in New Mexico, NASA officials said.
Zap! NASA Laser Breaks Space Communications Record