The Goldstone complex is located on the U.S. Army’s Fort Irwin Military Reservation,
approximately 72 km (45 miles) northeast of the desert city of Barstow, California.
Credit: Doug Ellison/NASA/JPL-Caltech
An interplanetary
communications network
These giant dishes do more than act as a cell
phone network for distant missions. Some are also
active in mapping asteroids via radar as well as radio
astronomy. Radar experiments in 1961 helped define
the astronomical unit (the average distance between
the Earth and Sun), a critical measurement used by
astronomers. There is even science in the radio waves
themselves. Changes in those waves transmitted back to
Earth are helping scientists reveal the interiors of moons
and planets and even test Einstein’s theory of relativity.
DSN data types:
• Tracking: Communication sessions start with an
exchange of carrier waves between the antenna
on Earth and on the spacecraft. Pure tones which
are used to track the position, the lifeblood of
engineers responsible for spacecraft navigation.
Ranging data helps determine (within 1 meter) the
distance to spacecraft. Doppler shift measured
on the downlink carrier wave determines velocity
within fractions of a millimeter per second.
• Telemetry: Greek for “far off measurements”,
telemetry is the digital engineering data gathered.
Temperatures of key spacecraft parts, science
data, as well as all those great images of places
like Saturn and Titan from the Cassini mission and
the surface of Mars from the Curiosity rover
• Command: Orders sent to spacecraft.
Instructions for new science or course
corrections for spacecraft en route.
• Radio Science: Signals change slightly as they pass
through the atmosphere of a planet, moons, or the sun
The Deep Space Network is our connection to space. Since 1963, it has directed NASA’s intrepid explorers on their journeys to the planets and all the way to the edge
of our solar system, capturing their sights, sounds and discoverie. View the full-size infographic at our website. Credit: Kim Orr/NASA/JPL-Caltech
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