[X] My Assistant

[ElkGroveDan]

This was brought up in the MER forums but I figured it might be useful here where discussion of strategy and planning for missions goes on.

Having visited a DSN station this year I have a new found interest in the amazing mission these sites are tasked with. Unfortunately like everything in these belt-tightening days the DSN is underfunded for what it is they need to accomplish. That said a friend pointed out to me that there is a simple formula to calculate the DSN costs for a mission:

Missions calculate DSN costs using this formula: AF = RB [AW (0.9 + FC / 10)]

Where:
AF = weighted Aperture Fee per hour of use.
RB = contact dependent hourly rate, adjusted annually ($1057/hr. for FY09).
AW = aperture weighting:
= 0.80 for 34m High-Speed Beam Waveguide (HSB) stations.
= 1.00 for all other 34m stations (i.e., 34m BWG and 34m HEF).
= 4.00 for 70m stations.
FC = number of station contacts, (contacts per calendar week).

Online tools available:
DSN Aperture Fee Tool - Excel file 706k
DSN Services Catalogue - PDF 675k

The DSN is so critical to nearly everything we discuss here. Everyone should take the time to learn more about it, and if possible try to schedule a visit or tour. The people who work there are the unsung heroes of the headline grabbing feats that NASA and JPL accomplish.
http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/

[dvandorn]

I would guess that the answer to how much of the MERs' extended mission costs are DSN costs incurred for uplinks and paid to the MODY /MRO project teams for their relay services lies in the detailed budget accounting. Is the detailed budget data (down to line item) for the MER extensions available publicly? That would be quite instructive, I would think.

It would also be good to see budget detail at that level for other missions, like Cassini, New Horizons and LRO (to name but a few) to see just what the percentage of operations costs commonly consist of DSN charges.

-the other Doug

[mcaplinger]

It would also be good to see budget detail at that level for other missions, like Cassini, New Horizons and LRO (to name but a few)...

It turns out that LRO doesn't use the DSN, it uses a Ka-band system that GSFC built in White Sands, NM.

http://cio.gsfc.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/p...main_GV3_16.pdf

Some proposed lunar missions I know of planned to use Universal Space Network's system -- http://www.uspacenetwork.com/index.html -- obviously lunar missions don't need big antennas.