INSTRUMENT_DESC |
The following information comes from the JPL DSN website
(http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/dsn/antennas/34m.html)
The DSS-25 antenna is located at the Apollo site of the
Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in Fort Irwin,
California, USA. The 34-meter Beam Waveguide (BWG) antenna is
based on that of the 34-meter High-Efficiency antenna, and
provides the same basic performance parameters. The mount is an
azimuth-elevation type and operates in both axes at 0.40
degree/second.
A major change in the design is the addition of five precision
radio frequency mirrors that reflect radio signals along a
beam-waveguide tube from the vertex of the antenna to the
below-ground pedestal equipment room. This design allows:
- The relocation of sensitive electronics from a feed cone in
the center of the main reflector to the pedestal equipment
room.
- Easier access for maintenance and modification (such as
adding new electronics for transmitting and receiving at
additional radio frequency bands when needed to support
future deep space missions.
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