Linked Questions
17 questions linked to/from How to design a ground antenna for sending & receiving from a satellite?
17
votes
6answers
4k views
Can I text on my cell phone from the ISS to Earth?
We know from Can we detect the cell phone, satellite phone, or walkie talkie of someone walking on Mars from Earth? that cell phone signals on Mars are potentially observable on Earth.
I am not an ...
26
votes
3answers
7k views
What is the purpose of the rotating dish antenna on the ISS
I just saw some footage of the ISS in which a dish antenna could be seen, constantly rotating.
The dish looked more-or-less parabolic, meaning that it is presumably sending/receiving along a fairly ...
21
votes
2answers
2k views
How precise must be the antenna orientation to communicate with a deep space probe?
I guess that everyone is familiar with the problem of aligning a TV satellite dish: some degrees off and the signal you desire is gone.
How sensitive is communication with deep space probes to this ...
12
votes
2answers
4k views
How to calculate data rate of Voyager 1?
I've read the following passage in the answer to the Quora question How can Voyager send a signal strong enough for us to receive, in spite of its enormous distance from us? And how can it have the ...
8
votes
1answer
2k views
What makes an antenna “high gain”, and high gain as opposed to what alternative(s)?
Whenever communications to/from a space vehicle are described or discussed, there is inevitably a reference to the vehicle's "high gain" antenna. What is it about such an antenna (specific technical ...
8
votes
2answers
2k views
Do all satellites and space probes have high & low gain antennas and what are their functions?
What is the main function of high and low gain antennas?
Do all satellites and space probes have high and low gain antennas?
9
votes
1answer
948 views
Why has the Earth's motion carried it out of view of Pioneer 11's antenna?
According to The Pioneer Missions, my emphasis,
The Pioneer 11 Mission ended on 30 September 1995, when the last transmission from the spacecraft was received. There have been no communications ...
4
votes
1answer
1k views
How many communication antennas does a satellite need if it belongs to a constellation?
I assume (but I may be wrong) that in a communication satellite constellation such as the one spaceX plan to put into service:
each full duplex link requires a dedicated antenna
each satellite ...
8
votes
1answer
482 views
Is it possible for the Deep Space Network to use MSPA and antenna arraying simultaneously?
Suppose Mars Odyssey (ODY) and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) are being tracked by antenna A (just for example) at the Goldstone Deep Space Network complex in MSPA mode.
Is it possible for ...
7
votes
1answer
2k views
Why is TESS' high gain antenna made of undulating BLACK fabric rather than metal?
above: from Facebook, then annotated.
There is an excellent review of the design of the TESS spacecraft in G. R. Richter et al. Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, ...
8
votes
1answer
1k views
When is a phased array antenna not a phased array?
This question is inspired by an answer to this question, where it is stated that:
The real power of phased arrays is their ability to be steered
electronically.
This set me wondering about the ...
3
votes
3answers
686 views
What are the prospects for comms with cubesats using “normal” internet connections?
Can a cubesat in orbit be operated like a R/C airplane in real time?
edit: if the link here and the end aren't clear, I'm interested in the ease and convenience of access, the frequency of possible ...
1
vote
2answers
336 views
What is this tiny articulated dish antenna-like thing on Zvezda?
I spotted this tiny, articulated dish antenna-like thing on the Zvezda module of the ISS while looking around for images for here. It looks like it's associated with and/or pointing in the same ...
3
votes
3answers
209 views
How large of an antenna would you need to connect to the ISS's WiFi network from Earth?
Supposing I wanted to connect to the ISS's WiFi network from the ground, how large of an antenna would I need to do so, and what kind? Would they need to increase the power on their end or use a ...
6
votes
1answer
332 views
How many antennas does Kurz use in toto, and what are each of their functions?
I learned about the Kurz docking system in this answer, then found out what they looked like in this and in this answer. Those images show several tiny dish antenna structures sticking out from ...