NASA 最近发射了一颗深空探测卫星“Psyche”，这让我们能够一窥具有与地球相似核心结构的行星。也许人类永远无法踏上这颗星球，但卫星的发射以及卫星携带的随行仪器让太空通信领域的科学家兴奋不已。自太空时代以来，太空通信领域的科学家们一直依靠无线电波进行通讯。但是无线电波只是电磁波谱中的一小部分。科学家们希望可通讯的波谱能扩展到光谱的另一部分。因此，他们的目标是使激光成为下一代太空通讯通信工具。
Psyche 探测器的主要任务是探索长 144 英里、形状像土豆的小行星，该小行星公转轨道长度大约是地日距离的三倍。天文学家普遍认为，这颗小行星(确切地说是名为 Psyche 16 的小行星)可能是岩质行星的金属核心，其岩石表面在火星和木星之间的小行星带中被撞击剥离。如果是这样，那么通过探测这颗小行星中铁、镍和岩石成分，我们可以对比研究地球的地核构成与结构。
Psyche 将会搭载一颗激光通讯组件包来测试在地月范围之外光学通讯传输信号的能力。这项技术或对 NASA 的重返月球计划，以及下一步登陆火星起到重要作用。这项技术同样意味着 NASA 在探索新的太空通讯技术领域中迈出了重要一步。如果这项实验能够预期完成，那么激光通讯技术将会补上 NASA 在主流的地外通讯系统-深空网络 (DSN) 中所面临的带宽限制的短板。
英语如下：
Title: NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft Carrying Deep Space Optical Communication Flight Laser Transceiver, Video Coded in Near-Infrared Laser
NASA has launched its Psyche spacecraft, which will give us a glimpse of a planet with a core structure similar to Earth. Although humans may never set foot on this planet, the launch of the satellite and the accompanying instruments have excited scientists in the field of space communication. Since the era of space exploration, scientists in the field of space communication have relied on radio waves for communication. However, radio waves are just a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Scientists hope that the spectrum of communications they can use will expand to another part of the spectrum. Therefore, their goal is to make lasers the next generation of space communication tools.
The main task of the Psyche spacecraft is to explore a small asteroid named Psyche, which is about 144 miles long and shaped like a potato. Its orbit is about three times the distance between the Earth and the Sun. Astronomers generally believe that this asteroid (specifically, Psyche 16) may be a rocky planet with a metallic core, whose rocky surface has been impacted and stripped away in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. If so, by probing the iron, nickel, and rock composition of this asteroid, we can compare and study the composition and structure of Earth’s core.
Psyche will carry a laser communication component package to test the ability to transmit optical communication signals beyond the range of geostationary Earth. This technology may play an important role in NASA’s return to the Moon and subsequent landing on Mars. It also means that NASA has taken an important step in exploring new areas of space communication technology. If this experiment can be completed as expected, laser communication technology will fill in the shortcomings of bandwidth constraints in mainstream extraterrestrial communication systems such as the Deep Space Network (DSN).
【来源】https://www.ithome.com/0/746/373.htm
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