For contact with space probes: NASA giant antenna out of operation for months
NASA's Deep Space Network communicates with space probes. One of its three largest antennas has been out of operation since September.
The giant antenna DSS-14
(Image: NASA)
One of the three largest antennas in NASA's network for communicating with space probes has been out of operation for two months, and it is unclear when it will be able to resume work. This has now become known shortly before the end of the government shutdown in the USA, which has severely affected the work of the US space agency. The failure of the 70-meter antenna DSS-14 at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California was made public by SpaceNews. While the station is not the only means of contact for any mission, the already long-overloaded communication network is likely to come under further pressure.
For communication with Mars and beyond
According to the US magazine As reported by the US magazine, the giant antenna was damaged in mid-September when it was rotated too far. This excessively strained the cabling and piping of the system and damaged hoses of the firefighting equipment. As a result, there was even a "flood", which "was quickly rectified". The statement did not say when the giant antenna would be able to resume its work. This is currently still being examined. Since the government shutdown has now ended, there should soon be more details from NASA.
DSS-14 is one of a total of three 70-meter antennas in NASA's Deep Space Network; they are used, among other things, for communication with the most distant space probes. The structure in Goldstone was commissioned in 1966, making it the oldest of the three; the other two in Canberra and Madrid were commissioned in 1973 and 1974. They are distributed around the globe so that at least one can always establish contact with a space mission. It has not yet been announced whether the months-long failure of the antenna is particularly problematic for one or more space probes. Unlike those in Australia, it is apparently not one that can communicate with a mission on its own.
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Just two years ago, the most recent NASA's Deep Space Network Audit by the NASA Inspector General's Office revealed that the network is "overloaded" with significantly more than just the three 70-meter antennas. Due to the increasing number of missions, this is not expected to change, quite the opposite. The report predicted that the antennas would not be able to meet the growing demand, and one in three communication requests would not be served in the next decade. The overload has already led to limitations in the preparations for planned manned moon missions. The consequences of the failure of DSS-14 are therefore likely to be considerable, and it remains to be seen how long it will last.
(mho)
