BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Researchers from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Penn State, and NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland are developing new space communications that could reduce disruptions caused by space weather and other interference.
"This will enable reliable and robust links between earth and some satellite, a probe, a space station, a manned mission to Mars - as well as communications between different space platforms in space," said Alexander Wyglinski, professor of electrical and computer engineering at WPI. "This research is just one step in trying to make our wireless links more robust against that type and other forms of interference beyond our atmosphere."
Wyglinski believes the breakthrough could have implications here on earth, where space weather and solar flares often wreak havoc on our electrical system. "The sun and the space weather that it produces - it's a doozy. We are fortunate that we have enough protection on earth to keep most of that radiation up away from the surface of the earth," Wyglinski said. "We're not too far away from a major source of interference that can really affect these links."
Using their findings, the researchers now have a blueprint that they can use to develop new designs that can be used across a number of space missions.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Laurie Kirby reports
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