By relaying signals through a communications satellite, NASA hopes to establish a digital audio, video, and data link with the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) - a converted C-141-A military cargo plane fitted with a 36-inch reflecting telescope - as it flies 41,000 feet above the Earth.
NASA engineers are eager to prove the viability of such high-bandwidth, wireless communications links so they can be incorporated into future airborne observatory designs. But the experiment should be a bonanza for educators as well. Students in computer-equipped classrooms will be able to interact with KAO researchers as the plane's telescope focuses on astronomical phenomenon. Plans are also afoot to produce Live from the Stratosphere, a televised special that would tap into a live video feed of satellite images from the KAO. Information: .
ELECTRIC WORD
All Tied Up on the Eastern Front
Server in the Sky
