NASA Receives Signal From New Horizons Spacecraft After Historic Flyby 4 Billion Miles From Earth

KTLA ^ | 01/01/2018

[Openurmind]

Did some homework.

Tx/Rx on X band.

Dual 12 watt TWTA Tx amplifiers.

New low power uplink receivers.

High gain antenna with reversible left/right circular polarity.

Two 8 Gig solid state memory storage recorders. One primary, one back up.

Downlink rate from Pluto was 1kbit/s per transmitter with a latency delay of 4.5 hours. But when power budget allows it, both transmitters can be used simultaneously in opposite direction polarities to double the downlink rate to 2 kbit/s. It takes approximately 16 months to download a full load of 8 gigs. So it looks like the average is about 1/2 gig a month. Decreasing the further it goes out.

Something else that takes time is that the instruments and camera are fixed, so the spacecraft has to be physically turned to aim them at a target. This in turn moves the antenna out of aim for transmission. So after the operation the spacecraft has to be physically turned back again to re-aim the antenna so that we can receive the signal downlink again. And the uplink latency is the same as the downlink latency to move it.

So I guess what it all adds up to is a slow run and patience on our end. lol

(As a radio guy I find the simultaneous opposite polarity thing VERY interesting)

[COBOL2Java]

Looks like God lost one of his bowling pins.

I wonder which Angel bowled the gutterball...

[COBOL2Java]

Like you said, invincibly ignorant

[outofsalt]

Cool stuff. Thanks for sharing it. You’ve succeeded in sending me down a rabbit hole of knowledge I lack.

I was imagining a microwave with a fax machine.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“because you believe that one item on the list is somehow in error, all the others are similarly dismissed?”

Nah, but I don’t have time to go through all your list.

LASIK began before LADAR.

To claim now that the Apollo mission gave us LASIK is just wishfully idealizing a fantasy to make it sound better.

Nor can you say the technologies would never have existed if we hadn’t had the Apollo mission. We simply do not know alternative futures.

It’s like the books about the Irish saving civilization.

[Openurmind]

And you are right on the money. From what it looks like... It’s about the same but much slower and that would be a close description... Very slow wireless FAX. And X band is indeed a microwave frequency. lol

[outofsalt]

So, diving into the rabbit hole you opened, (I searched for which frequency Marconi transmitted) I have learned that Marconi’s radio transmissions from the late 19th century, essentially a spark trying to broadcast Morse code, have travelled beyond over a hundred stars!

I also learned of the work of Reginald Fessenden whose genius is seemingly unrecognized.
https://www.ieee.ca/millennium/radio/radio_differences.html

I also learned that Smart phones have half a dozen antennas in every unit. I’ve learned a lot this morning!
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=radio+frequency+spectrum&&view=detail&mid=598D929FD23B73270D49598D929FD23B73270D49&rvsmid=778D87DD65095C42BD06778D87DD65095C42BD06&FORM=VDQVAP

[Openurmind]

I have that insatiable appetite for knowledge myself... about EVERYTHING. I swear it is a form of ADD. “Wait? What’s that?” Click, click, click! 12 hours later... “What time is it???” lol

But I have played with HAM radio a bit and it stands to reason about the radio waves. I think we are currently receiving waves from the the outer boundaries of the universe with radio telescopes as it is. But I think it will be thousands of years before our transmissions will reach out that far.

Always did want to set one of those up in the backyard... :)

But it goes deeper... EVERYTHING resonates at frequencies on the sub-atomic level. You, me, light, everything. Dive into that reality, it will definitely keep you busy for awhile. :)

[NorthMountain]

And so the scientific explanation gives a deeper look into the theological explanation.

Well said. Too bad more folks on this forum don't seem to get that. The reflexive, snarky anti-science attitude of many self-so-called Christians on this forum is a disgrace.

[NorthMountain]

Apollo was canceled because it was so expensive.

Apollo was canceled because race-bigot communist Democrats wanted to take money from you and give it to the gibsmedats.

[Constitution Day]

Ha! Happy New Year, Slim! Best wishes for 2019 to you & yours.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Happy New Year to you too!

[Openurmind]

I hope you understood I consider “mine” as ADD not yours. :)

[outofsalt]

There was a comedian who used to joke about having HIADHD:
High Intensity Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

We seem to enjoy Serious High Intensity Thinking as a result, we may be full of S.H.I.T. ;)

[Openurmind]

lol... Have to remember that. :)

[dragnet2]

The poster based on their own comments is quite serious. Don’t believe me, read back or ask them. So next time, get it right prior to commenting.

[HiTech RedNeck]

The very divine command to subdue the creation is the root of the motive to study it.

I don’t say that people who don’t appreciate this very much aren’t believers, but that they have something more to learn.