NASA scripts new milestone in space tech by 'holoporting' doctor to ISS; Details inside-

Marking new dawn in the field of communications, NASA has successfully “holoported” a person from Earth into space. According to a statement released earlier this week, the agency revealed that astronaut Thomas Pesquet had a one-on-one conversation with NASA flight surgeon Dr. Josef Schmid, who was “holoported” to the International Space Station (ISS) in October 2021. Interestingly, with this feat, Schmid and his team became the first humans to be projected into space. 

(Schmid and team projected inside the ISS; Image: NASA)

What is ‘Holoportation’?

A combination of two words- Hologram and teleportation - holoportation refers to the capture technology that allows high-quality 3D models of people to be reconstructed, compressed and transmitted. What’s more, is that these transmissions can be made anywhere and are in real-time. Detailing its advantages, Schmid stated that this technology allows users to see, hear and interact with remote participants in 3D when it is combined with mixed reality displays such as HoloLens. NASA says that the method of Holoportation has been in use since 2016 courtesy of Microsoft, however, Schmid’s virtual visit to the ISS is the first instance of projecting a figure in an extreme and remote environment like outer space.  

A technology demonstration for future use

This communication method to prepare for its potential usage in future missions and the demonstration was executed under a partnership between NASA and Houston-based AERA aerospace. It is pertinent to note that NASA’s ultimate plan is to teleport humans into space and astronauts back to earth through two-way communication. Calling Holoportation a new manner of human communication, Schmid said, “We'll use this for our private medical conferences, private psychiatric conferences, private family conferences and to bring VIPs onto the space station to visit with astronauts.”

Another usage for this communication tool would be to keep the astronauts connected to Earth irrespective of their exploration site in the universe. With its practical applications, astronauts could be connected with ground support for medical or mission-related reasons and also remain in touch with their family members. However, NASA also highlighted a major challenge in usage of Holoportation in outer space. According to the agency, delay in transmission between Earth and, say, Mars would be a major communication barrier. “A delay of up to 20 minutes each way will present a unique challenge to communication whether through simple radio transmissions, video streams or new methods such as Holoportation”, NASA said.

However, if the technology is successful, it would also have direct applications on Earth in addition to space. This method would also work to bring people together in our planet’s extreme environments such as research facilities in Antarctica, offshore oil rigs and even military operation theatres.

Image: NASA