Satellite
High-speed communications between the R/V Thomas G. Thompson and shore are handled by a satellite link. For this mission, a data stream will be transmitted to a communications satellite called Galaxy 18, which is in geosynchronous orbit at 123ºW longitude. Sufficient capacity on Galaxy 18 has been reserved to carry several different digital services including two-way email and Internet telephone (VoIP) connections, as well as a high-definition video stream originating from the seafloor. The signal from the satellite will be received by UWTV at Kane Hall, a building at the center of the University of Washington campus in Seattle.
