Picture Album of the
DEEP SPACE NETWORK

New Beam-Waveguide Antenna at the Venus Research and Development Site, Goldstone, California

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This 34-meter multifrequency antenna (DSS 13) at Goldstone was completed in 1991 at the Venus research and development site. It is the first antenna for deep-space communications to use a beam waveguide to route microwave energy between the main reflector and a room located in the basement. In this way, many feeds and amplifiers can be placed in a laboratory environment and be illuminated selectively by means of a rotating microwave mirror.

This antenna has a surface accuracy of 0.40 millimeters root-mean-square and will be used to perform characterizations and demonstrations of high-frequency technology. The Network has evolved from being able to provide communications with spacecraft at 960 megahertz to 2300 to 8450, in consonance with approved use of these frequencies for space to Earth by the World Administrative Radio Conference (which makes these frequencies available to NASA, when requested). The new antenna will be used to carry out the necessary developments to extend the frequency range to 30,000 megahertz.

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