Advanced Communications Experiments for Spacelab

Abstract

The joint NASA-ESA Spacelab project offers the space engineer the opportunity to develop and test advanced communications technology in a new environment. The large volume and weight carrying capability of the Spacelab, plus the presence of an astronaut-engineer, means that large-diameter deployable antennas can be developed; multiple antennas operating at differing frequencies can be employed for propagation experiments and the detection of radio frequency noise sources on earth; and comparative, side-by-side telemetry experiments can be performed employing differing modulation techniques. The zero-gravity, high altitude and frequent flights into space make Spacelab a new tool for the communication engineer to employ for telemetry/ communications research.