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Posted by: PhilCo126 Jan 6 2006, 05:53 PM

The Deep Space Network (DSN) is well-known for its large parabolic dish antennas but what most people don’t realise is that each ground station site of the DSN has multiple antennas. At each complex there’s one 70-meter aperture antenna, one 34-meter dish, one 26-meter antenna, one 11-meter antenna and the centralized signal processing center which controls the antennas remotely.
Does anybody know of a website with High-resolution photos of the DSN complexes?

Posted by: Toma B Jan 6 2006, 06:10 PM

For start try Google images...
search for "DSN complex" large images...or go to http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/dsn/gallery/index.html

Posted by: PhilCo126 Jan 6 2006, 07:08 PM

Thanks TOMA... my question was asked after an intensive search on www.... I'm looking to really High-resolution photos (300 DPI) scanned from NASA originals. The days of writing to NASA and getting photos are far over anno 2006!

Posted by: Steffen Jan 23 2006, 06:15 AM

DSN questions: Does anybody know:
1. Where these antennas are precisely located ( GPS coordinates )
2. How could we visit these ' Tempels ' for unmanned space buffs ?
3. Does anybody of forum live near any of them ( Jodrell Bank, etc... ) ?

Posted by: djellison Jan 23 2006, 08:34 AM

You'll probably find them with Google Earth and get good lat-long that way.

I beleive they all have visitors centres that are open at least some of the time

and whilst I'm about 3 hrs from Jodrell Bank...it's not part of the DSN

Doug

Posted by: lyford Jan 23 2006, 04:51 PM

Did someone say http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=EarthTourism&Number=1082&Searchpage=1&Main=1082&Words=goldstone&topic=&Search=true#Post1082

I live about 5 hours from http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/dsn/features/goldstonetours.html - want to go there someday - but right now I doubt my poor Ford Escort could make it...

Posted by: ljk4-1 Jan 23 2006, 07:02 PM

Networks and Architecture Report: The NASA Deep Space Network
by David Nutter

http://compsoc.dur.ac.uk/~dn/


Multimission Considerations for the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN)

http://sunset.usc.edu/GSAW/gsaw2002/s10d/kurtik.pdf


For some reason this document is not working past the cover pages:

Uplink-Downlink. A History of the Deep Space Network 1957–1997

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4227/Uplink-Downlink.pdf

Posted by: Bob Shaw Jan 23 2006, 11:12 PM

Steffen:

I visit Jodrell Bank every few years, as I have family connections nearby, and have taken photos of it at each visit. I'll post a few of the most recent visit in a day or so. One thing about Jodrell Bank is that you can get right up to the base of the telescope itself (and even into the compound below, if you're a bit cheeky). It's built using railway-engineering crossed with battleships - a helluva thing!

Bob Shaw

Posted by: jamescanvin Jan 23 2006, 11:37 PM

And I'm about 3 hours from http://www.cdscc.nasa.gov/

Posted by: PhilCo126 Jan 24 2006, 07:51 AM

Well,
I'm 2 hours away from REDU, a radio antennas site in the Ardennes... used by Belgian Telecoms and occasionally by ESA ( not part of DSN ).

Great to see some of us live nearby those DSN sites, if I would live that close I would visit them regularly

Looks like we covered 60% of the antenna sites, do we have someone near Madrid ( remember the October 2006 visit to Spain in a separate topic ) ?

Posted by: PhilCo126 Feb 9 2006, 06:01 PM

Good webpage to start a quiz on identifying Radio Antennas

http://users.ugent.be/~bluyssae/RADIO/collage.htm


Listing of Antennas ...

Arecibo – Puerto Rico : 300 meters
Effelsberg – Germany : 100 meters
Greenbank – USA : 100 meters
Jodrell Bank Cheshire –GB : 76 meters
Canberra – Australia : 70 meters
Goldstone - Barstow – USA : 70 meters
Madrid – Spain DSS-63 : 70 meters
Parkes – Australia : 64 meters
Alqoquin Park – Canada : 46 meters
Cebreros Avila – Spain : 35 meters
Aulencia Villafranca – Spain : 15 meters

Posted by: PhilCo126 Feb 11 2006, 06:17 PM

The DSN site in Spain has a visitors' centre:
http://www.mdscc.org/html/visitors.html


ESA's new antenna in Spain ( not part of DSN !? ):

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM7BO7X9DE_index_0.html

Posted by: ljk4-1 May 22 2006, 04:21 PM

GAO: NASA's Ability to Meet Future Deep Space Communications Demand Is at
Risk

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=19901

"In a report released today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO)
found that NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN)-the agency's primary system
for communicating with spacecraft beyond low Earth orbit-is not well positioned
to meet the coming demands of the Vision for Exploration and future deep
space science missions."

Posted by: PhilCo126 May 23 2006, 05:14 PM

Any space agency can put a large dish on the roof of my house

Posted by: PhilCo126 May 29 2006, 01:19 PM

Here's a weblink to a site with great 1960s photos of the Deep Space Network !
http://www.honeysucklecreek.net/index1.html

Best regards,
Phill

Posted by: ustrax May 30 2006, 02:39 PM

Well...Not DSN but I have this big antennas of the Centro de Satélites de Sintra really close, about 20kms, from where I live...:

http://www.cienciaviva.pt/veraocv/logotipos/pt3.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b14/ustrax3/css.jpg

Huumm...Maybe Saturday I'll walk there...

Posted by: DonPMitchell May 30 2006, 06:56 PM

Here's a few pictures of Russian DSN facilities.

[attachment=5954:attachment]
Pluton System (1960)

[attachment=5955:attachment] [attachment=5956:attachment]
70-Meter Systems in Yevpatoria and Ussuriysk

[attachment=5957:attachment] [attachment=5958:attachment]
64-Meter Systems in Kalyazin and Bear Lake

Check out the bear in the foreground of the Kalyazin antenna. How Russian can you get!

They also have dozens of 26 and 32-meter antennas. They made a range of standard designs, increasing in surface area by factors of two.

Posted by: helvick May 31 2006, 12:42 AM

Those are cool shots of the various antennae but the bear shot is pure class. Must have been a very happy photographer.

Posted by: DonPMitchell May 31 2006, 05:06 AM

Russia may also complete a third 70-meter dish on the Suffa plateau in Uzbekistan. They ran out of money a few years ago, but things seem to be picking up again.

[attachment=5970:attachment]

Posted by: Astro0 May 31 2006, 06:29 AM

I can help you with any photo you need of the DSN antennas at the Canberra Complex.
There are a few examples at our http://www.cdscc.nasa.gov
If you want high resolution, I can supply them in just about any size and format you may want.

Feel free to contact me.
Regards
Astro0

Posted by: PhilCo126 May 31 2006, 07:28 PM

Thanks for pointing that out Astro0...

Meanwhile I'm giving the coordinates of a third Antenna site in Spain ( DSN is Robledo de Chavela ) ( Apollo-era DSN was in fact located at Fresnedillas ) and this is the European Space Agency antenna site near Villafranca ...
VILSPA of ESA ( coordinates 40° 26 ' 33'' North * 03° 57' 06" West )