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Communications specialist Serjik Zadourian
checks with antenna stations around the world
to listen for a signal from Spirit.
Dawn shot of an antenna at the Goldstone
Deep Space Communications Complex, located
in the Mojave Desert in California, one of three
complexes in NASA’s Deep Space Network
(DSN). The DSN provides radio communications
for all of NASA’s interplanetary spacecraft,
including the rovers.
Chatting with the Rovers
In this story, the scientists and rovers The team hopes the rovers follow
seem to speak to each other using the commands, driving, taking photos,
words. But scientists can’t really “talk” and testing and measuring rocks. At a
to the rovers. To communicate, scheduled time, the rovers radiate the
scientists type codes and commands information they have gathered to
that they beam to one of the three Odyssey via their low-gain UHF
huge satellite dishes in Earth’s Deep antennas. Odyssey, directed to listen at
Space Network (DSN). The dish passes that time, collects the signals.
the commands to a spacecraft that is Sometime later, it downlinks the data
orbiting Mars, usually the Mars to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Odyssey, which beams them to the through Deep Space Network.
rovers at an appointed time. The rovers can phone home directly
“You get a beep from the rover that to Earth using their high-gain antennas,
means ‘Thank you, I got my but they don’t have to “yell” as loudly
commands.’ Then you don’t hear from or use as much energy if they send
it for the rest of the day,” said Matt messages through the orbiter. And they
Golombek, who manages rover can send bigger messages, faster. That
planning. “You can’t watch the rover; pleases the scientists who are eager for
you can’t listen to it. You really have no their rovers to phone home.
idea what is happening.”
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