How is data able to sent through space? How does it know where to go and maintain its structure?

Question

I don't understand how I can send an email/photo rom Mars and it gets sent to someone on Earth. How does it travel through space? How does it know which direction to go? How does it even permeate through the fabric of space and maintain its structure?

Answer 1

Its no different than radio or wireless transmissions on Earth.  There is no "fabric" of space to permeate.

Answer 2

Done with RADIO, like your WiFi.

We are still getting data from Voyager 1 and at 14 billion miles away.

Space is void, the only effect is signal weakening for space loss.

Answer 3

Exactly the same way that data gets sent between your computer and your smartphone: by a radio link.

Radio signals carrying data can be focused and pointed in a direction to get that data to go where it is meant to go. That is what those big radio dishes are for that you see in pictures of places like Goldstone or Parkes.

As far as I know, space is empty and contains no "fabric". Are you confusing astronomy with millinery? Would not be surprising, as lots of folks seem to be confused that way.

Maybe catch up with the basics of the electromagnetic theory, all worked out in exquisite detail almost two centuries ago by James Maxwell, and proven correct by countless experiments since. Just about every piece of the technology we use every day depends on that theory in some way, including communications in space.

Source(s): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetism

Answer 4

After the rocket scientists figured out that two cans and a string were not practical for communication between the Earth and spacecraft, they tried a number of different methods.  After years of trying and rejecting such means of transmitting information as megaphones, semaphore, signal lights, and smoke signals they finally settled on using radio for its long range and reliability.  

Source(s): Ask silly questions = get silly answers.

Answer 5

I didn't know you could send emails to probes elsewhere in the solar system.  However, if you can the probable answer is low bandwidth.  Telemetry and information from the instruments on board have been sent back and forth for around sixty years so it isn't that big a deal.

Answer 6

never heard of radio I take it.  Time to get an education

Answer 7

Signals are sent by radio waves. They are electromagnetic radiation, a form of light. They travel thru space because electric field create magnetic field and then magnetic field create electric field. 

The signals don't know where to go. They go out in all directions. Someone on the moon or another planet could also pick up the signal from Mars. 

The wavelength and frequency can't change as the radio waves travels they space. Out just gets weaker. So all data encoded in it remains intact and can be read, as long as the signal is strong enough. 

Answer 8

We have directional antenna's pointing in the right directions. We have computers to calculate when they have to be in which direction