Out of this world download speeds

The american space agency is working on a new high-speed system that will allow spacecraft to beam back 3D videos from space. NASA have been testing how to use laser beams to transmit data from Earth to the moon at record breaking speeds in the hope of making a high speed download network. Usually space stations use radio waves to transmit information but NASA are the first to use laser beams in this way and it means that eventually space shuttles will be able to transmit high quality 3D videos and imaging back to the stations from space. It used a system called the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD), and achieved a download rate of 622 megabits per second. To compare, the average residential broadband speeds in the UK this year were measured at 5.7 megabits per second. NASA's Badri Younes said: "LLCD is the first step on our roadmap toward building the next generation of space communication capability. We are encouraged by the results of the demonstration to this point, and we are confident we are on the right path to introduce this new capability into operational service soon." This new technology is incredible as it will allow us to see information from space in a whole new way and, in a few decades, allow for ultra high speed broadband around the world.