SEXTANT: Navigating by Cosmic Beacon

  • Released Friday, April 5th, 2013
  • Updated Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023 at 1:52PM
  • ID: 10857

Imagine a technology that would allow space travelers to transmit gigabytes of data per second over interplanetary distances or to navigate to Mars and beyond using powerful beams of light emanating from rotating neutron stars. The concept isn't farfetched.

In fact, Goddard astrophysicists Keith Gendreau and Zaven Arzoumanian plan to fly a multi-purpose instrument on the International Space Station to demonstrate the viability of two groundbreaking navigation and communication technologies and, from the same platform, gather scientific data revealing the physics of dense matter in neutron stars.

Navigating by Cosmic Beacon
A promotional teaser for SEXTANT.

For complete transcript, click here.

SEXTANT Animation
Animation of SEXTANT onboard ISS

SEXTANT B-Roll
B-roll of the SEXTANT labs and meeting.

For More Information

See http://gsfctechnology.gsfc.nasa.gov/CosmicBeacon.html

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Series

This visualization can be found in the following series:

Tapes

This visualization originally appeared on the following tapes:
  • SEXTANT: Navigating by Cosmic Beacon (ID: 2011103)
    Friday, April 5, 2013 at 4:00AM
    Produced by - Jesse Allen