Antenna & tracking stations Options

[elakdawalla]

Okay, somebody here HAS to Photoshop that image together.

--Emily

[djellison]

Only thing is that I'm not sure that the roof of HQ UMSF can handle a 70m steerable dish.

I can safely confirm that. Also - the RF noise might get in the way of testing the APRS FM GP tracker for the balloon

[Guest_PhilCo126_*]

Jodrell Bank saved ... now we still have to find a solution to keep Arecibo running

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/s...icle4297239.ece

[remcook]

Good news

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?rele...mp;auid=5984415

(This thread seemed like the right place to put it, even though it's a bit old...or perhaps the admins prefer a new thread every time? Move at will.)

edit - only now saw Emily's post as well:
http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00002360/

[djellison]

NAhh - seems the right thread - while we're at it, here's my 'groundstation' for listening to the balloon payloads
http://twitpic.com/14cl0k

[Astro0]

As folks here know, I'm at the Canberra DSN.
It is very good news for us to be the first Complex to get these vital antenna upgrades.

Lots of fanfare for the groundbreaking ceremony with VIPs from NASA and JPL here for the event.
A great day for us and the Network.


Our guests, including the new US Ambassador, Jeffrey Bleich (4th from right) broke ground on the site for antenna Deep Space Station 35 and you can see Deep Space Station 45 in the background.

For those observant readers, the two gentlemen on the right are (second from right) William Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator for Space Operations (he's the guy incharge of all of NASA's communications from ground to space including shuttle, ISS, earth-obs and the DSN) and (far right) Dr Charles Elachi, Director of JPL. Great to have them all here with us.

BTW - Great article Emily.

[nprev]

Cool beans, Astro0, and congratulations!

(That area looks amazingly like the near-coastal area of central California, BTW, right down to the rolling hills & low trees.)

[ElkGroveDan]

It's amazing how much it looks like Goldstone --- with the exception that things can actually grow Canberra.

[djellison]

Yes - but does Canberra have a steel Loch Ness Monster sticking out of a dry lake bed?

Awsome news for an underfunded and vital asset!

[climber]

This is great great news!
BTW, which antena shows in your avatar?

[helvick]

It also looks remarkably similar to my memories of Hartebeeshoek in South Africa which was one of the early DSN locations. I suppose it's not all that surprising that the locations end up being physically similar because of the importance of local climate in selecting a DSN location but it's an interesting observation. No surprise that we don't have any here in Ireland though, it would be shut down because of weather 75% of the time.

I'm delighted by the news - the lack of investment in the DSN has been a major concern for a long time and it is particularly good news that this overhaul starts with Canberra. Hopefully this will be followed up with additional projects at the other DSN stations in due course too.

[Astro0]

Climber: which antena shows in your avatar?

That's Deep Space Station 43, 70-metre antenna - due for retirement in the mid-late 2020s.

[climber]

Climber: which antena shows in your avatar?

That's Deep Space Station 43, 70-metre antenna - due for retirement in the mid-late 2020s.

Thanks Astro. Could you also tell us which one "plays" in the movie "The Dish" (which I saw 2 months ago and realy enjoyed)

[ElkGroveDan]

Yes - but does Canberra have a steel Loch Ness Monster sticking out of a dry lake bed?

Doug has a point Astro0, especially if Canberra aspires to be more like Goldstone. Is it too late to get the contractor to include one of these in the bid?

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[dmuller]

Yes - but does Canberra have a steel Loch Ness Monster sticking out of a dry lake bed?

The federal parliament house?