Spacecraft near Earth have long relied on GPS signals for navigation, just as users on the ground might use their phones to navigate the highways. Farther away, navigation — and the math behind it — becomes a great deal more challenging.

Science fiction and science fact have long enjoyed a symbiotic relationship, with ideas in one prompting innovations in the other, and so on. Dan Curry, a filmmaker, artist and visual effects producer best known for his Star Trek work, shares his perspectives.

In this bonus episode of NASA's The Invisible Network podcast, a NASA subject matter expert answers questions about the Deep Space Network (DSN) submitted on social media.

Without communications there is no exploration: To reveal the unknown, a spacecraft must be able to share its data. In a sense, today's space communications networks are like the roadways of ancient empires, allowing information to move across vast distances. But how might our satellite data highways evolve to enable exploration centuries from now?

In this final episode of a five-part series about NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, we look at the future of optical communications technologies at NASA.

CubeSats are small satellites, some weighing as little as 3 pounds. They provide opportunities for small-scale research in space, and an avenue for young scientists — some as young as middle school-aged — to see their curiosity take literal flight.

Today, Tuesday, December 7, 2021, the U.S. Space Force’s Space Test Program Satellite-6 launched from Kennedy Space Center on Florida’s space coast. The spacecraft contains a revolutionary space communications mission, NASA's Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, or LCRD.

NASA presents The Invisible Network, a podcast giving you a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the feats of engineering that make possible humanity's ambitions among the stars. Join us October 16, as we reveal these invisible networks.

NASA is fostering a commercial space economy. In this episode of "The Invisible Network" podcast, we look at how NASA's LunaNet communications architecture allows industry to participate in Artemis.

Every summer, fresh faces flood NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. They are the interns. Each new face comes with an idea to share — a contribution to make to the agency. Space Communications and Navigation interns contribute across many diverse disciplines, from cybersecurity to public outreach.

At its core the NASA History Office ensures that, as we look forward to the Moon, Mars and beyond, we remember the lessons we’ve learned from our predecessors. The race to the Moon in the 1960s occurred against a very different backdrop than today's Artemis program — but both exhibit what humanity can achieve when we set ourselves to lofty aims.

"Form follows function" is an oft-cited architectural axiom. In space, form doesn’t necessarily follow function. Human space habitation is rooted, by necessity, in pragmatism. The architectures of Earth won’t work in space, but there is plenty to learn from Earthbound architectural theories as we extend our reach among the stars.

In this bonus episode of NASA's The Invisible Network podcast, NASA subject matter experts answer questions about the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) submitted on social media.

The technologies that fuel NASA's exploration don't just stay in space. They benefit humanity in everyday life — sometimes in surprising ways, like how a NASA communications engineer helped create a system that freezes bone marrow.

There is perhaps no one better than Jim Garvin to outline the unique opportunities for research that the Artemis missions to the Moon could provide scientists on Earth. Jim is chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and a tireless champion for crewed exploration of the Moon.

Each year, NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Internship Project welcomes students of all levels to develop projects of real benefit to the agency while earning real world experience in their fields. In this episode of The Invisible Network podcast, we'll speak with members of 2021's intern cohort at three different NASA centers.

In recent years, NASA has renewed its focus on the Moon. Soon, we will look up at the Moon and rediscover a magic first experienced in 1969. It’s a magic that will flow through networks more sophisticated than ever before — an appreciation for the technological wonders that lay ahead, just above and all around us.

In the telephone switchboard’s earliest days, the late 1800s, operators served a limited number of customers within their own communities. As telephone use expanded, automation helped switchboards keep up. NASA is working on a similar approach, infusing its satellite networks with a sort of artificial intelligence.

Amidst the grandeur of spaceflight, there is a tiny bit of technology that, if not for its major role, might otherwise go unnoticed: distress beacons. This NASA-developed search-and-rescue technology could be life-saving not just for astronauts, but for travelers across the globe as well.

The mythic hunter Orion, son of the sea-god Poseidon, was himself mortal, but his godly lineage enabled impossible heroic feats, earning him a place in the night sky as a constellation. NASA has developed its own Orion, a hunter for knowledge not of this Earth: a spacecraft designed for humanity’s return to the Moon and exploration of deep space.

In this fifth episode in the fifth season of NASA's "The Invisible Network" podcast, we discuss a unique educational opportunity that allows students to use a Deep Space Network antenna for real science.

Just south of the equator lies a tiny plot of volcanic soil, a thousand miles from the nearest continent. This bizarre, remote island had mammoth importance to America’s first efforts in space.

What does the Pony Express of the 19th century have in common with the internet and disruption-tolerant networking? They're all (for their times) innovative communications technologies that revolutionize the way we share data.

In this final episode of the fifth season of NASA's "The Invisible Network" podcast, we discuss the technologies and capabilities key to the Deep Space Network's future.

For billions of years, the Earth and the Moon have danced together. Since the Apollo era, scientists have used lasers — a technology then in its infancy — to measure their waltz. Lasers have since played increasingly important roles in spaceflight. They may even play a part in keeping the next generation of lunar astronauts connected to home.

In this second episode of an LCRD-focused season of The Invisible Network podcast, we take a look at the reasons NASA is embracing optical communications technologies and what challenges LCRD will overcome.

NASA is fostering a commercial space economy. In this episode of "The Invisible Network" podcast, we look at space communications support of the Commercial Crew Program.

In this first episode in the fifth season of NASA's "The Invisible Network" podcast, we examine the origins, evolution, and basic structure of NASA's Deep Space Network.

Happy International Podcast Day! The Invisible Network has some exciting things coming up, including seasons about NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration and NASA’s Deep Space Network. In the meantime, you can find all of NASA's out of this world podcasts at nasa.gov/podcasts.

In this third episode of a five-part series about NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, we look at the LCRD flight payload, which launched on the U.S. Space Force’s Space Test Program Satellite-6 earlier on December 7.

In this fourth episode in the fifth season of NASA's "The Invisible Network" podcast, we discuss the unique type of radio science empowered by Deep Space Network antennas.

Faster-than-light communications might not be a possibility now — our current understanding of natural laws don’t allow for it. But who knows what innovations await us just beyond the horizon?

In this fourth episode of a five-part series about NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, we look at the LCRD ground segment, which consists of infrastructure in Hawaii, California, and New Mexico.

In this second episode in the fifth season of NASA's "The Invisible Network" podcast, we take a tour of the Deep Space Network's worldwide infrastructure.

Whether you're relying on the careful observations of 1950s amateur astronomers and backyard telescopes or state-of-the-art GPS tracking and navigation technology: knowing where you are in space means needing to know what time it is.

NASA is fostering a commercial space economy. In this episode of "The Invisible Network" podcast, we look at how NASA is working with industry to nurture a space communications marketplace.

Over five episodes, this new season of The Invisible Network will dive into NASA's Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD), which will showcase the benefits of optical communications, which uses infrared lasers instead of radio waves to communicate.

In this third episode in the fifth season of NASA's "The Invisible Network" podcast, we meet the Mission Interface Managers who furnish missions with Deep Space Network services.

A new season of NASA's The Invisible Network podcast is coming soon! This time around, we'll focus on the communications and navigation services provided by NASA's Deep Space Network. Based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Deep Space Network has a global infrastructure of huge importance to NASA's past, present, and future.

At its core the NASA History Office ensures that, as we look forward to the Moon, Mars and beyond, we remember the lessons we’ve learned from our predecessors. The race to the Moon in the 1960s occurred against a very different backdrop than today's Artemis program — but both exhibit what humanity can achieve when we set ourselves to lofty aims.

What does the Pony Express of the 19th century have in common with the internet and disruption-tolerant networking? They're all (for their times) innovative communications technologies that revolutionize the way we share data.

Science fiction and science fact have long enjoyed a symbiotic relationship, with ideas in one prompting innovations in the other, and so on. Dan Curry, a filmmaker, artist and visual effects producer best known for his Star Trek work, shares his perspectives.

There is perhaps no one better than Jim Garvin to outline the unique opportunities for research that the Artemis missions to the Moon could provide scientists on Earth. Jim is chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and a tireless champion for crewed exploration of the Moon.

Every summer, fresh faces flood NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. They are the interns. Each new face comes with an idea to share — a contribution to make to the agency. Space Communications and Navigation interns contribute across many diverse disciplines, from cybersecurity to public outreach.

Each year, NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Internship Project welcomes students of all levels to develop projects of real benefit to the agency while earning real world experience in their fields. In this episode of The Invisible Network podcast, we'll speak with members of 2021's intern cohort at three different NASA centers.

In recent years, NASA has renewed its focus on the Moon. Soon, we will look up at the Moon and rediscover a magic first experienced in 1969. It’s a magic that will flow through networks more sophisticated than ever before — an appreciation for the technological wonders that lay ahead, just above and all around us.

In this final episode of the fifth season of NASA's "The Invisible Network" podcast, we discuss the technologies and capabilities key to the Deep Space Network's future.

Just south of the equator lies a tiny plot of volcanic soil, a thousand miles from the nearest continent. This bizarre, remote island had mammoth importance to America’s first efforts in space.

NASA is fostering a commercial space economy. In this episode of "The Invisible Network" podcast, we look at how NASA is working with industry to nurture a space communications marketplace.

In this bonus episode of NASA's The Invisible Network podcast, a NASA subject matter expert answers questions about the Deep Space Network (DSN) submitted on social media.

In this bonus episode of NASA's The Invisible Network podcast, NASA subject matter experts answer questions about the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) submitted on social media.

"Form follows function" is an oft-cited architectural axiom. In space, form doesn’t necessarily follow function. Human space habitation is rooted, by necessity, in pragmatism. The architectures of Earth won’t work in space, but there is plenty to learn from Earthbound architectural theories as we extend our reach among the stars.

In this final episode of a five-part series about NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, we look at the future of optical communications technologies at NASA.

In this second episode in the fifth season of NASA's "The Invisible Network" podcast, we take a tour of the Deep Space Network's worldwide infrastructure.

In this third episode in the fifth season of NASA's "The Invisible Network" podcast, we meet the Mission Interface Managers who furnish missions with Deep Space Network services.

Amidst the grandeur of spaceflight, there is a tiny bit of technology that, if not for its major role, might otherwise go unnoticed: distress beacons. This NASA-developed search-and-rescue technology could be life-saving not just for astronauts, but for travelers across the globe as well.

NASA presents The Invisible Network, a podcast giving you a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the feats of engineering that make possible humanity's ambitions among the stars. Join us October 16, as we reveal these invisible networks.

The technologies that fuel NASA's exploration don't just stay in space. They benefit humanity in everyday life — sometimes in surprising ways, like how a NASA communications engineer helped create a system that freezes bone marrow.

In this fifth episode in the fifth season of NASA's "The Invisible Network" podcast, we discuss a unique educational opportunity that allows students to use a Deep Space Network antenna for real science.

Faster-than-light communications might not be a possibility now — our current understanding of natural laws don’t allow for it. But who knows what innovations await us just beyond the horizon?

NASA is fostering a commercial space economy. In this episode of "The Invisible Network" podcast, we look at space communications support of the Commercial Crew Program.

NASA is fostering a commercial space economy. In this episode of "The Invisible Network" podcast, we look at how NASA's LunaNet communications architecture allows industry to participate in Artemis.

Without communications there is no exploration: To reveal the unknown, a spacecraft must be able to share its data. In a sense, today's space communications networks are like the roadways of ancient empires, allowing information to move across vast distances. But how might our satellite data highways evolve to enable exploration centuries from now?

Whether you're relying on the careful observations of 1950s amateur astronomers and backyard telescopes or state-of-the-art GPS tracking and navigation technology: knowing where you are in space means needing to know what time it is.

Happy International Podcast Day! The Invisible Network has some exciting things coming up, including seasons about NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration and NASA’s Deep Space Network. In the meantime, you can find all of NASA's out of this world podcasts at nasa.gov/podcasts.

In this fourth episode in the fifth season of NASA's "The Invisible Network" podcast, we discuss the unique type of radio science empowered by Deep Space Network antennas.

Over five episodes, this new season of The Invisible Network will dive into NASA's Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD), which will showcase the benefits of optical communications, which uses infrared lasers instead of radio waves to communicate.

In this third episode of a five-part series about NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, we look at the LCRD flight payload, which launched on the U.S. Space Force’s Space Test Program Satellite-6 earlier on December 7.

In the telephone switchboard’s earliest days, the late 1800s, operators served a limited number of customers within their own communities. As telephone use expanded, automation helped switchboards keep up. NASA is working on a similar approach, infusing its satellite networks with a sort of artificial intelligence.

The mythic hunter Orion, son of the sea-god Poseidon, was himself mortal, but his godly lineage enabled impossible heroic feats, earning him a place in the night sky as a constellation. NASA has developed its own Orion, a hunter for knowledge not of this Earth: a spacecraft designed for humanity’s return to the Moon and exploration of deep space.

CubeSats are small satellites, some weighing as little as 3 pounds. They provide opportunities for small-scale research in space, and an avenue for young scientists — some as young as middle school-aged — to see their curiosity take literal flight.

For billions of years, the Earth and the Moon have danced together. Since the Apollo era, scientists have used lasers — a technology then in its infancy — to measure their waltz. Lasers have since played increasingly important roles in spaceflight. They may even play a part in keeping the next generation of lunar astronauts connected to home.

In this second episode of an LCRD-focused season of The Invisible Network podcast, we take a look at the reasons NASA is embracing optical communications technologies and what challenges LCRD will overcome.

In this first episode in the fifth season of NASA's "The Invisible Network" podcast, we examine the origins, evolution, and basic structure of NASA's Deep Space Network.

A new season of NASA's The Invisible Network podcast is coming soon! This time around, we'll focus on the communications and navigation services provided by NASA's Deep Space Network. Based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Deep Space Network has a global infrastructure of huge importance to NASA's past, present, and future.

In this fourth episode of a five-part series about NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, we look at the LCRD ground segment, which consists of infrastructure in Hawaii, California, and New Mexico.

Spacecraft near Earth have long relied on GPS signals for navigation, just as users on the ground might use their phones to navigate the highways. Farther away, navigation — and the math behind it — becomes a great deal more challenging.

Today, Tuesday, December 7, 2021, the U.S. Space Force’s Space Test Program Satellite-6 launched from Kennedy Space Center on Florida’s space coast. The spacecraft contains a revolutionary space communications mission, NASA's Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, or LCRD.