HOUSTON, June 20 -- Big things can come in small packages, and engineers at NASA's Johnson Space Center are making progress on a tiny spacecraft that holds major promise for future exploration. Work on the volleyball-sized miniature autonomous extravehicular robotic camera (Mini AERCam) moved forward with after initial tests on its docking system. The Mini AERCam is designed to help astronauts and ground crews see outside the spacecraft during a mission. During ground-based testing, the device was able to work with the docking system that serves as an exterior home base for housing and...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaArticlesNASA to Test Deep-Space Laser Communication on Psyche MissionNASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications project will test the use of near-infrared lasers as potential replacements for the current radio frequency systems. 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