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NASA’s cool new laser system is being used to send astronauts videos of their pets

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To send and receive messages to and from the International Space Station (ISS), NASA has built the first end-to-end wired system that works both ways. With its 1.2 gigabits per second speed, which is faster than your home internet, it sent pictures and videos of cats, dogs, and even the occasional parrot to the astronauts who are currently on the station.

Space communication is slow for more than just the reason that light moves so slowly. It took over a year to send a few days’ worth of observations from missions like New Horizon, which was the first mission to Pluto. It will be possible for future missions to carry more instruments with better resolution, but that won’t help much if we can’t get the data back to Earth.

Lasers can make the speed at which data is sent much faster. A mission called Psyche is going to look into the metal-rich asteroid with the same name. It has an infrared laser system on board called Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC). Last year, it was shown off from 40 million kilometers away, which is 16 million kilometers (10 million miles).

It took DSOC an extra month and 3 million kilometers to get to the important stuff. Of course, Psyche sent a video of Taters, a cat, chasing a laser dot.

But this only went one way. The video was put on Psyche before it opened. At the moment, there is no quick way to send that much data to a spacecraft so far away.

But the ISS is not like that. The mission operations center in Las Cruces, New Mexico, sent data to ground stations from Texas to Hawaii. The first set of data included pictures and videos of the staff’s pets. At these points, it was changed into infrared laser signals and sent into space.

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As you might expect, the signals weren’t sent straight to the ISS. Instead, they were sent to satellites in geosynchronous orbits 22,000 miles above Earth. From there, everything was sent to a receiver that was temporarily attached to the outside of the ISS. All of those valuable bits were sent back to Earth, showing that the system works both ways.

We are used to information traveling at the speed of light, so this may not seem very impressive, but it was very hard to do technically. Radio waves can only carry so much data at a time. Infrared lasers can carry more data, but delays can cause important data to be lost over these distances, let alone the ones NASA wants to use these systems for in the future. A new “store-and-forward” process was put to the test during the demonstration. This process checks the quality of data and either sends it right away or stores it for later use.

A High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking (HDTN) system was created so that this could happen four times faster than it could before. Astronauts on the Artemis Mission will need improvements like these so they can connect to the Internet instead of sending their videos in grainy black-and-white like Apollo astronauts did.

NASA’s Kevin Coggins said in a statement, “Not only did they show how these technologies can be an important part of NASA’s future science and exploration missions, but it was also fun for the teams to “imagine” their pets helping with this innovative demonstration.”

We commend NASA for the technology and the things they sent, but we can’t help but feel like they missed a chance. These pets belonged to astronauts Randy Bresnik, Christina Koch, and Kjell Lindgren, as well as to people who work for NASA but have never been to space. We especially like Astrid the Beagle because the breed is linked to scientific progress.

Still, none of these astronauts are on board right now. The current crew must miss their own pets and would have liked a video from whoever is taking care of them. Next, astronauts will face-time with their excited dogs (the cats won’t mind).

As Editor here at GeekReply, I'm a big fan of all things Geeky. Most of my contributions to the site are technology related, but I'm also a big fan of video games. My genres of choice include RPGs, MMOs, Grand Strategy, and Simulation. If I'm not chasing after the latest gear on my MMO of choice, I'm here at GeekReply reporting on the latest in Geek culture.

Gaming

Huge update for Dragon’s Dogma 2 on PS5 adds frame rate settings; you can now choose 120FPS

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That’s right, Capcom has finally made Dragon’s Dogma 2 run better with a major PS5 patch that you can now download. You can now set the “graphics settings” to either high or low, which is the most important performance improvement the update brings. Also, Dragon’s Dogma 2 can now use 120 Hz if you have a 4K TV that supports it.

Depending on whether you set the “graphics settings” to high or low, Capcom says the following will happen: “Frame rates should be better in places with a lot of NPCs, like town centers.” If you also lower the graphics settings, frame rates should get even better. The publisher says that more frame rate improvements will be made in later updates.

In another place, the system for storing things is being changed. Now that you have the patch, you can sell items directly from your storage box, put on armor from the menu, and get armor from storage for the right location as soon as you switch to it. Additionally, you can now keep up to 999 copies of an item, up from 99 before.

Other small changes include making it easier to find Oxcarts in the open world, adding a new way to remove the main character from photos in Photo Mode, and fixing a number of bugs. The full patch notes can be seen below.

The following are the patch notes for Dragon’s Dogma 2 on the PS5.

Adjustments and additions to the storage.

  • Adding function to sell items from the storage menu.
  • Adding function to equip armor from the storage menu.
  • Adding function to equip armor from the storage when changing vocation in a vocation guild.
  • Increasing the maximum number of items of one kind that can be put in storage from 99 to 999.
  • Adjusting so that when an item is put in storage beyond the maximum limit, the maximum number of items are automatically put in storage.
  • Adding the option to turn the Arisen’s visibility on or off in photo mode.
  • Adjusting so that it’s easier to find oxcarts in the field.
  • Fixing the issue where Venator’s Leggings, Ring of Predominance, and Comforting Neck Wrap were unobtainable.
  • Fixing issues that caused players to be able to enter areas they should not be able to.
  • Fixing the issue with pricing for precious stones in Vermund being incorrect at some shops.
  • Fixing the issue where the oracle’s guidance would not account for a necessary character being dead.
  • Fixing the issue where some gathering points would not regenerate until the next playthrough.
  • Fixing the issue where incorrect NPC portraits were displayed.
  • Fixing issues around opening the door in the anterior chamber.
  • Fixing the issue with hair display on characters of maximum height.
  • Fixing issues around CPU overload in certain situations.
  • Miscellaneous bug fixes.
  • Adding the option to change graphics settings to high/low.
  • Adding the option to turn 120 Hz output on/off.
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Gaming

FromSoftware Boss Embraces the Challenges of Elden Ring: ‘I Have a Humble Skill Level in Video Games’

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It comes as no shock, yet it remains oddly perplexing that Hidetaka Miyazaki, the mastermind behind FromSoftware, admits to lacking prowess in the realm of video games. Miyazaki, the mastermind behind Elden Ring, embraces every opportunity and resource the game provides, leading to a rollercoaster of emotions for gamers, from frustration and rage to eventual triumph.

Like a game critic, Miyazaki shared with The Guardian that he seldom indulges in playing his own games after they are released. He emphasized the importance of immersing himself in the gameplay and dedicating ample time to it prior to launch. However, once the game is over, I usually lose interest in playing it further. I anticipate discovering unfinished elements or annoying glitches that will detract from my experience.

Shadow of the Erdtree has once again sparked the age-old debate between journalists and gamers, reigniting the discussion around the difficulty of FromSoftware games. Finally, Miyazaki himself has settled the easy mode controversy once and for all. The director of Elden Ring approaches the challenges in the game by utilizing every advantage available to him. This strategic approach aligns with the game’s design and enhances the overall gameplay experience.

“I must admit, I am not the most skilled when it comes to video games. However, I approached this game with a strategic mindset, utilizing every tool, assistance, and knowledge available to me as the creator of the game.” The freedom and expansive open world of Elden Ring have certainly made it more accessible, and as a player, I feel like I am reaping the most rewards from it, surpassing all others.

Considering the game designer’s active involvement with the mechanics and his utilization of them, do you believe that die-hard fans of the franchise will adopt a similar approach? Or perhaps Miyazaki’s perspective is flawed, and one could argue that the optimal approach to enjoying the studio’s games is by utilizing the most up-to-date, yet flawed, meta-build. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Gaming

The next update for Gran Turismo 7 on PS5 and PS4 might be a big one

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There will be a change to how the next Gran Turismo 7 update is shown off next weekend, on July 6, 2024. Instead of a tweet from Kazunori Yamauchi, the series creator, the 1.49 patch for PS5 and PS4 will be “introduced” at the Gran Turismo World Series Esports event.

Polyphony Digital usually adds a few new cars, menus for the GT Café, more scenery, and sometimes a different version of a track every month for Gran Turismo 7. With bigger updates, we now have new features like the advanced AI system Sophy and a refresh for Spec II. It’s likely that the next patch will have more content than usual since it will be announced during a livestream instead of a Twitter post.

The official Gran Turismo Twitter account said earlier today, “The first round of the Gran Turismo World Series 2024 will be held in Montreal, Canada, on July 6 and will be broadcast live.” “There will also be an introduction of the July Update for GT7 during the broadcast, so don’t miss it!”

What kinds of things do you want to see in the next Gran Turismo game? Tell us about your hopes in the space below.

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