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(Space.com)   NASA running out of bandwidth to talk to all their deep space missions   (space.com) divider line
17
    More: Interesting, Hubble Space Telescope, major NASA missions, Goddard Space Flight Center, James Webb Space Telescope, Space Telescope Science Institute, Space exploration, Deep Space Network, European Space Agency  
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1220 clicks; posted to STEM » on 04 Dec 2022 at 8:45 AM (15 weeks ago)   |   Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook



17 Comments     (+0 »)
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El Borscht
2022-12-04 8:53:59 AM  
The fact that we are still in touch with the Voyagers weirds me out in a really good way
 
Gubbo [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2022-12-04 9:12:10 AM  
Time to expand the deep space network.

And in case you're curious about what the network is doing in real time

https://eyes.nasa.gov/dsn/dsn.html
 
Unsung_Hero
2022-12-04 9:18:39 AM  

El Borscht: The fact that we are still in touch with the Voyagers weirds me out in a really good way


I feel like even if there's no more science to be gained from it we should spend the money to keep in contact as long as there's a signal coming from them, just because it's such an incredible achievement to have something that far out with the technology available at the time of their launch.

Keeping that connection going is like maintaining a monument to the achievement.
 
Ambitwistor
2022-12-04 9:25:42 AM  
They need to upgrade their hardware.

Fark user imageView Full Size
 
Ambitwistor
2022-12-04 9:30:27 AM  

Unsung_Hero: El Borscht: The fact that we are still in touch with the Voyagers weirds me out in a really good way

I feel like even if there's no more science to be gained from it we should spend the money to keep in contact as long as there's a signal coming from them, just because it's such an incredible achievement to have something that far out with the technology available at the time of their launch.

Keeping that connection going is like maintaining a monument to the achievement.


And if we don't contact them, they'll contact us.

Fark user imageView Full Size
 
some_beer_drinker
2022-12-04 10:08:19 AM  
syfy.comView Full Size
 
KingKauff
2022-12-04 11:39:53 AM  

Unsung_Hero: El Borscht: The fact that we are still in touch with the Voyagers weirds me out in a really good way

I feel like even if there's no more science to be gained from it we should spend the money to keep in contact as long as there's a signal coming from them, just because it's such an incredible achievement to have something that far out with the technology available at the time of their launch.

Keeping that connection going is like maintaining a monument to the achievement.


All of this right here. I find it amazing that we have two man made objects that have left the solar system, and soon(ish) to be three.
 
I hereby demand that I be given a Fark account [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2022-12-04 11:52:56 AM  
Worth noting that the Deep Space Network was originally built as the Manned Space Flight Network, and was built to support the Apollo missions. And I'm certain that the DNS charter included a phrase along the lines of "oh yeah if we ever do go back to the moon or farther, you'll be required to grant absolute priority to the lunar/martian manned mission comms.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was going to send back so much data that they built their own receiving stations for it, because DSN couldn't given them anywhere near the antenna time they needed without compromising the ability to talk to other missions.
 
Aviron [TotalFark]
2022-12-04 1:06:47 PM  

Unsung_Hero: El Borscht: The fact that we are still in touch with the Voyagers weirds me out in a really good way

I feel like even if there's no more science to be gained from it we should spend the money to keep in contact as long as there's a signal coming from them, just because it's such an incredible achievement to have something that far out with the technology available at the time of their launch.

Keeping that connection going is like maintaining a monument to the achievement.


Absolutely agree. In fact we should start building that Monument soon, before V'ger comes back for a visit.
 
TheMysteriousStranger
2022-12-04 2:22:26 PM  

I hereby demand that I be given a Fark account: Worth noting that the Deep Space Network was originally built as the Manned Space Flight Network, and was built to support the Apollo missions. And I'm certain that the DNS charter included a phrase along the lines of "oh yeah if we ever do go back to the moon or farther, you'll be required to grant absolute priority to the lunar/martian manned mission comms.

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was going to send back so much data that they built their own receiving stations for it, because DSN couldn't given them anywhere near the antenna time they needed without compromising the ability to talk to other missions.



The cost three new dishes (i.e. one each for California, Australia, and Spain) would be a rounding error when compared to either SLS or Orion. And they would be useful to have as the network could use more bandwidth even if Artemis did not exist. And when the Moon is below the horizon, a dish can talk to other missions.
 
dbirchall [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2022-12-04 3:38:28 PM  

I hereby demand that I be given a Fark account: The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was going to send back so much data that they built their own receiving stations for it, because DSN couldn't given them anywhere near the antenna time they needed without compromising the ability to talk to other missions.


And they used optical, for a higher bit rate (622MBps).  And NASA continues to experiment with optical; their current TBIRD project is intended to do terabit rates from low earth orbit.  We may see a lot more optical downlinks coming.
 
leeksfromchichis [TotalFark]
2022-12-04 4:17:23 PM  

dbirchall: I hereby demand that I be given a Fark account: The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was going to send back so much data that they built their own receiving stations for it, because DSN couldn't given them anywhere near the antenna time they needed without compromising the ability to talk to other missions.

And they used optical, for a higher bit rate (622MBps).  And NASA continues to experiment with optical; their current TBIRD project is intended to do terabit rates from low earth orbit.  We may see a lot more optical downlinks coming.


Need one hell of an ethernet cable
 
Pointy Tail of Satan
2022-12-04 11:20:08 PM  
One actually doesn't need the high gain DSA to comm with the JWT. It's relatively close to Earth. Dishes designed to comm with geosynchronous sats would probably do fine.
 
Tom Marvolo Bombadil
2022-12-05 2:13:26 AM  

some_beer_drinker: [syfy.com image 850x566]


Fark user imageView Full Size


"D'erp class cruiser approaching, Captain!"
 
I hereby demand that I be given a Fark account [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2022-12-05 9:02:13 AM  

dbirchall: I hereby demand that I be given a Fark account: The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was going to send back so much data that they built their own receiving stations for it, because DSN couldn't given them anywhere near the antenna time they needed without compromising the ability to talk to other missions.

And they used optical, for a higher bit rate (622MBps).  And NASA continues to experiment with optical; their current TBIRD project is intended to do terabit rates from low earth orbit.  We may see a lot more optical downlinks coming.


LEO is very different than deep space and doesn't use the DSN - but yeah, LRO has proven that optical could be used for lunar communications. Bit tougher for mars, but radio and lasers both have the same sqaure-cube rule issues.
 
Nicholas D. Wolfwood [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2022-12-05 12:15:14 PM  

I hereby demand that I be given a Fark account: dbirchall: I hereby demand that I be given a Fark account: The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was going to send back so much data that they built their own receiving stations for it, because DSN couldn't given them anywhere near the antenna time they needed without compromising the ability to talk to other missions.

And they used optical, for a higher bit rate (622MBps).  And NASA continues to experiment with optical; their current TBIRD project is intended to do terabit rates from low earth orbit.  We may see a lot more optical downlinks coming.

LEO is very different than deep space and doesn't use the DSN - but yeah, LRO has proven that optical could be used for lunar communications. Bit tougher for mars, but radio and lasers both have the same square-cube rule issues.


Agreed, but did you perhaps mean 'Inverse Square"?
 
dbirchall [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2022-12-05 1:46:09 PM  

Nicholas D. Wolfwood: I hereby demand that I be given a Fark account: dbirchall: I hereby demand that I be given a Fark account: The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was going to send back so much data that they built their own receiving stations for it, because DSN couldn't given them anywhere near the antenna time they needed without compromising the ability to talk to other missions.

And they used optical, for a higher bit rate (622MBps).  And NASA continues to experiment with optical; their current TBIRD project is intended to do terabit rates from low earth orbit.  We may see a lot more optical downlinks coming.

LEO is very different than deep space and doesn't use the DSN - but yeah, LRO has proven that optical could be used for lunar communications. Bit tougher for mars, but radio and lasers both have the same square-cube rule issues.

Agreed, but did you perhaps mean 'Inverse Square"?


Hereby may have been thinking of radar, where Inverse Square applies on both the transmit and receive legs.

And there are probably going to be some differences in beam spread, side lobes or lack thereof, and such between radio and laser (tradeoff being that the smaller your coverage area on the ground, the better your pointing needs to be.)
 
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