The Proximity-1 Space Link Protocol Celebrates Five Years

This month, the U.S. NASA rovers Spirit and Opportunity are celebrating a truly incredible five years of operation on the surface of Mars. Part of the technology that made it possible for the rovers to successfully deliver hundreds of thousands of photos back to Earth is the CCSDS Proximity-1 Space Link Protocol. This specialized network protocol allows the rovers to deliver data to an occasionally-connected planetary orbiter rather than directly to Earth, conserving its power and generally improving efficiency over alternative protocols designed for different purposes.

People tend to be quick to point out flaws and failures with technology but slow to celebrate success, even the impressive ones like this. Congratulations to all involved in Proximity-1 and the rest of the Mars rovers project!

→ More - The Proximity-1 Space Link Protocol (ccsds.org, in PDF)

Mars Rover - First Color Pictures from the Mars Rover Spirit (6 January 2004) - Photo: Getty Images