Stargazing: NASA links with spacecraft on nal frontier
By 1963, NASA morphed its fledgling operations for communicating with spacecraft into the Deep Space Network.
Missions had become more numerous and aroundthe-clock support was crucial. Three facilities were established at an equal distance from each other so that a spacecraft could always pick up a signal from Earth. This created a tag-team system of communication.
As one antenna station rotated below the horizon, the next station picked up the signal allowing spacecraft to remain in constant contact.
The Mercury and Gemini missions relied on a groundbased system called Manned Space Flight Network.
The importance of the Deep Space Network grew with the upcoming moon missions. Famously, the site located in Australia captured our collective attention as well as Hollywood’s, with the movie, “The Dish,” as that location successfully relayed the Apollo 11 moon landing.
The intricate telecommunications system has only grown since then. The Deep Space Network locations are approximately 120 degrees apart in longitude, near Barstow, Calif.; Madrid, Spain; and Canberra, Australia.
Sensitive instruments include at least four large dish antennas per location, and receiving systems designed to detect the faintest of radio signals. These are essential to tracking the myriad of robotic craft currently in flight.
DSN is operated by Jet Propulsion Laboratory and supports worldwide space agencies. It will be the backbone of monitoring NASA’s Artemis lunar missions.