Relay communications for Mars exploration

@article{citeulike:1902913, abstract = {Telecommunication is an essential and challenging aspect of planetary exploration. For Mars landers, the constraints of mass, volume, power and energy typically limit their communications capabilities on the long-distance link back to Earth. By deploying relay spacecraft in Martian orbit, these landers can achieve much greater data return and can obtain contact opportunities at times when Earth is not in view. Currently, both NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) have pursued this strategy, deploying relay payloads on their Mars science orbiters. This relay infrastructure has significantly benefited the science return from the 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers and is poised to support the Phoenix Lander and Mars Science Laboratory missions later this decade. Longer-term plans call for continued growth in relay capability, greatly increasing data return from the Martian surface to enable exciting new Mars exploration concepts and advance our understanding of our planetary neighbour. Copyright {\copyright} 2007 John Wiley \& Sons, Ltd.}, address = {Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, U.S.A.}, author = {Edwards, Charles D. }, citeulike-article-id = {1902913}, doi = {10.1002/sat.871}, journal = {International Journal of Satellite Communications and Networking}, keywords = {communications, exploration, mars}, number = {2}, pages = {111--145}, posted-at = {2007-11-12 14:13:47}, priority = {2}, title = {Relay communications for Mars exploration}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/sat.871}, volume = {25}, year = {2007} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:1902913 L3 - citeulike-article-id:1902913 TI - Relay communications for Mars exploration JF - International Journal of Satellite Communications and Networking VL - 25 IS - 2 SP - 111 EP - 145 AD - Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, U.S.A. N2 - Telecommunication is an essential and challenging aspect of planetary exploration. For Mars landers, the constraints of mass, volume, power and energy typically limit their communications capabilities on the long-distance link back to Earth. By deploying relay spacecraft in Martian orbit, these landers can achieve much greater data return and can obtain contact opportunities at times when Earth is not in view. Currently, both NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) have pursued this strategy, deploying relay payloads on their Mars science orbiters. This relay infrastructure has significantly benefited the science return from the 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers and is poised to support the Phoenix Lander and Mars Science Laboratory missions later this decade. Longer-term plans call for continued growth in relay capability, greatly increasing data return from the Martian surface to enable exciting new Mars exploration concepts and advance our understanding of our planetary neighbour. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KW - communications KW - exploration KW - mars AU - Edwards, Charles PY - 2007/// UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/sat.871 ER -