PROJECT384
Mission debrief

How much data can we really bring home?

Answer six quick questions based on the Project384 scenario. Your anonymous answers can be submitted to the class poll, then we'll reveal the data bottleneck.

1. In our scenario, how large is one high-resolution photo?

2. If you capture one photo every second, how many photos could you take in 24 hours?

3. At 50 MB each, how much data would 86,400 photos create?

4. What communications window does the Project384 scenario use?

5. With 216 GB available and 50 MB per image, approximately how many photos can be sent?

6. How many of the 86,400 captured photos cannot be transferred in this simplified daily scenario?

Project384 scenario result
5%

Only about 1 in 20 captured images fits through our daily link.

In this educational scenario, the instrument can create data far faster than the assumed communications window can return it to Earth. That turns bandwidth into a mission decision: prioritize, compress, store, schedule — or improve the link.

86,400images captured
4.32 TBdata generated
216 GBtransfer capacity
4,320images returned
Important real-world context: 5% is the result of the Project384 scenario, not a universal limit for lunar missions. Actual rates vary significantly. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter uses a high-rate Ka-band downlink, while NASA has also demonstrated much faster optical/laser links from lunar distance. The broader lesson remains: spacecraft data generation, onboard storage, link rate, contact time, ground networks, power and weather/atmospheric effects all shape how much data reaches Earth.
Live audience poll

What did everyone think?

Compare the audience's answers with the Project384 scenario. Results update from the anonymous Google Sheet poll.

Live results will appear here once the survey endpoint is configured.
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