Convergence: Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing

CHAPTER 8Quantum-AI Space Communications

Mason Peck, Stephen J. Fujikawa '77 Professor of Astronautics, Cornell University

Spacecraft communicate. Whether or not they also do science, demonstrate technology, collect radar and optical images, provide global telecommunications capability, carry astronauts to distant celestial bodies, or perform any number of other missions, they all communicate. If they do not, they might as well not be there in the first place. In fact, a complete failure of a modern spacecraft's communications subsystem terminates a mission, regardless that all other components may still function perfectly. If a spacecraft finds life beyond Earth and no one is around to hear it, does it make a discovery?

We will soon encounter a future in which we routinely travel to space. We will survive, even thrive in low Earth orbit. We will live in space and work there. In fact, this future is upon us: crews of astronauts have continuously occupied the International Space Station for more than 20 years now. Many of us may well work on the moon in the coming decade and, soon thereafter, on Mars. In this future, we will all continue to be connected by an Internet—an interplanetary one. In fact, we have taken first steps in that direction, too: NASA has funded Nokia's Bell Labs division to build a lunar communications network based on 4G/LTE, the same protocol that most contemporary phones use. After all, extending this commercially successful technology to space just makes ...