In space, no one can hear your ringtone
19 February 2008
In space, no one can hear your ringtone
The British National Space Centre (BNSC) and NASA have issued a report that outlines the next steps in possible UK - US space exploration co-operation and details a trial of the lunar cellphone network of the future.
MoonLITE is a proposed UK-led small robotic mission to the Moon. It comprises a satellite which would enter the Moon's orbit and then release three or four small missile-like vehicles, know as 'penetrators', which would impact at high speed and embed instruments just under the Moon's surface.
The satellite orbiter would then act as a telecommunications relay station between the penetrators and Earth during its one year life span.
The main purpose of MoonLITE would be to gather scientific evidence about the Moon's interior and history, but the set up would also be used to test the space-based satellite communications network needed by future robotic and human explorers.
Just imagine the roaming charges for those calls though. And don't expect to get too much web surfing done - data transfer is likely to be in the 2-3Kbps range on both the uplink and the downlink to start with.
An international scientific peer-review and a more detailed technical study of MoonLITE are needed as well as a definitive cost estimate before a decision to go ahead is taken. The launch date for MoonLITE is scheduled for no earlier than 2012.
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