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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

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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Gaming

The developer of War Thunder says sorry after images of the Challenger space shuttle disaster surface

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Gaijin Entertainment, the developer of War Thunder, has recently issued an apology for a concerning oversight in their new key art. Observant fans noticed that the imagery used in the artwork closely resembles the distinct debris trail from the tragic 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster, which claimed the lives of all seven crew members. Gaijin Entertainment acknowledges this mistake and expresses their regret.

According to Eurogamer, members of the War Thunder community, known for their keen observation skills and ability to uncover classified military information, were quick to spot the striking resemblance between the Challenger’s unique debris field and a key art piece featured in the highly anticipated Seek and Destroy update. The Challenger shuttle tragically broke apart just 70 seconds after launch, an event that was broadcast live on TV. This devastating incident marked a somber milestone in American space flight history, as it was the first time that any fatalities were recorded.

It seems that there was a minor mishap, which is quite unfortunate. A spokesperson from Gaijin Entertainment expressed their apologies for this unfortunate error on the game’s official forums: “We deeply regret this and offer our sincere apologies.” Our artists used an aerial explosion reference pack that contained the image, which resulted in the loss of its original context. We will promptly make changes to this artwork and implement measures to prevent any future occurrences of this nature.

Challenger disaster and Seek & Destroy wallpaper line up nearly perfectly
byu/HarryTheOwlcat inWarthunder

Is it surprising to witness such a notorious explosion depicted in the key art of a video game, or are we simply revealing our age once more? We would greatly appreciate your feedback in the comments section below.

 

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Geek Culture

What Takes Place If Your Body Overheats?

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The heatwave that is currently affecting some parts of the US is just the most recent in a string of extremely hot weather that has affected many parts of the world. As a result of this trend, the dangers of heat-related illness are becoming all too real.

In addition to harming animals, the intense heat is also having an impact on people. In recent years, heatwaves have claimed lives in Saudi Arabia, Europe, and India.

Sweating is one way the body attempts to cool off in the summer, but what happens if that doesn’t work?

Heat fatigue
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are frequently discussed as though they are two distinct conditions. However, they range from a minor emergency to a serious, life-threatening one, according to emergency medicine specialist Dr. Thomas Waters in a Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials post.

Although it can develop into a more serious heatstroke if left untreated, heat exhaustion falls in the middle.

Excessive sweating is the primary early indicator of heat exhaustion, as the body makes a desperate attempt to cool itself by allowing perspiration to evaporate from the skin. The hypothalamus, a tiny area of the brain that controls body temperature, is what causes this. It stimulates the production of sweat by sending signals to the sweat glands through the nervous system.

However, this is insufficient to cool the body in heat exhaustion, and the core temperature of the body can rise to 38.3 to 40 °C (101 to 104 °F). It also gets harder to replenish all of the fluids and electrolytes lost during this phase of sweating, which increases the risk of dehydration and some other illness symptoms.

For example, the body needs minerals like potassium and sodium to properly function muscles, send nerve signals, and keep the volume of blood and fluids in check. Muscle spasms, lightheadedness, weakness, and an elevated heart rate to compensate for decreased blood volume can result from the loss of those vital electrolytes.

Similar to sweating, nausea and vomiting can also be signs of heat exhaustion because they are the body’s means of expelling heat-retaining material. “These are not only symptoms of heat exhaustion, but they can also complicate your recovery process when attempting to rehydrate,” a press release from Baylor College of Medicine stated about Isabel Valdez, a physician assistant and assistant professor of general internal medicine.

Overheating
Heat exhaustion can develop into heatstroke, a potentially fatal illness, if it is not treated or if the body is unable to cool down in 30 minutes. The body can no longer regulate its temperature at this point, and it can quickly rise above 40 °C (104 °F). Despite popular belief, people don’t always stop sweating at this point.

The authors of a review on the illness state that “extreme hyperthermia (usually >40.5°C [105°F]), multiorgan failure, and central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction are the clinical hallmarks of heatstroke.”

Regarding the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain and spinal cord, this can show up as obvious symptoms like disorientation, slurred speech, unconsciousness, or seizures. This is due to the brain’s heightened sensitivity to heat, as high temperatures can harm brain cells and result in their malfunction or death. This may be lethal or cause survivors to suffer irreversible, incapacitating injuries.

In heatstroke, problems with the central nervous system (CNS) can cause problems with other organs, but the immune system’s severe stress response also plays a significant role in the multiorgan failure that occurs.

It’s unclear exactly how the process operates, but the immune system’s response to overheating is an inflammatory response that affects the entire body. In other situations, a healthy amount of inflammation is beneficial for preventing infection or promoting the healing of wounds; however, in this instance, the response is excessive to the point where it can seriously harm the body and result in problems like kidney, liver, or heart failure.

Handling illnesses associated with heat
When suffering from heat exhaustion, it’s critical to remove any excess clothing as soon as possible, rehydrate (cold water and sports drinks are both beneficial for this), and use fans, cold packs, sprayed or sponged water, and other items to cool the skin. This can be carried out wherever the symptomatic individual is at that moment.

Heatstroke, however, is considered a medical emergency, and as such, medical assistance should be contacted.

It can turn lethal very fast. No matter how strong you are, heat stroke is something you cannot simply overcome, according to Dr. Waters. “Listening to your body and heeding warning signs is the most crucial thing you can do.”

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