EEVblog 1547 (Part 1) - Contacting the Voyager 2 Space Probe
68,110
Published 2023-06-05
PART 1: A detailed explanation by Richard Stephenson from the NASA Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex in Canberra on how the 70m DSS-43 dish at the CDSCC is used to still contact the Voyager 2 probe.
You can follow Richard on Twitter: twitter.com/nascom1
Low noise receivers: safe.nrao.edu/wiki/pub/Main/GalenWatts/Reid_DESCAN…
NOTE: This video is a re-release from the EEVblog Discover channel from 2017, to hopefully find a new audience.
Forum: www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1547-contacting…
00:00 - How do you contact the Voyager 2 space probe?
03:14 - Voyager ISN'T the lowest signal level!
06:29 - The Failed Capacitor and the Best Lock Frequency
09:00 - Transmit uplink power
10:00 - System noise temperature
10:30 - S and X band receivers
11:42 - Mars Reconnaissance Ordbiter and the Signal to Noise Ratio
12:39 - Maximum Transmit power is WHAT?
13:12 - The effects of weather
14:16 - Power supply and backups
15:29 - The roll of the Deep Space Network
16:50 - Mag Roll Calibration
If you find my videos useful you may consider supporting the EEVblog on Patreon: www.patreon.com/eevblog
Web Site: www.eevblog.com/
Other channels:
EEVblog2: youtube.com/EEVblog2
EEVdiscover: youtube.com/eevdiscover
T-Shirts: teespring.com/stores/eevblog
#ElectronicsCreators #NASA #voyager
All Comments (21)
-
Crazy to think that those circuits are still working 50+ years on, and some of the engineers and technicians have already passed away. Probably a sense of pride for them - building something that was still working so many decades later.
-
Shout out to Dave for the out of the way interview style. This was captivating.
-
My husband built portions of the antenna and waveguide systems on the Voyagers. He gets a bit of enjoyment out of the fact that things he made are now out of the solar system, and may live on intact longer than our planet will.
-
I know there's a small well to draw this kind of content from, but this is exactly what I'd like to see more of! You can tell how passionate Richard is and he knows his world inside-out. Amazing stuff. Thanks Dave!
-
I feel like I am experiencing his emotions of being able to communicate this information to others. He is obviously very proud of what they do there, and he should be. Talking to people like this always excites me. No matter how much reading you have done around his area of expertise he has knowledge you don’t have.
-
This is one your best videos of all time David. Thank you.
-
This was way better than the thumbnail suggested! Super cool that people have figured out how to communicate over billions of kilometers. Also interesting to hear what kind of issues need to be considered when doing that.
-
When NASA lost one of the Stereo spacecraft behind the sun, the signals they were picking up trying to recover it were around -190 to -200 dBm. Simply incredible.
-
Wonderful, thank everyone for giving you the time to document this incredible piece of space history.
-
Do you know a better analogy to loneliness than Voyager 2? Imagine yourself to be as far as Voyager 2. The mind boggles. Amazing engineering! Thanks Dave for making this video.
-
This was awesome! Thanks Dave for taking the time to put this interview together and take the time to go out there to do it. 😁 I can't wait for part 2! I learned so much about a craft that I thought I knew a lot about how the comms happened. Yup, I love the mixed content you do, anyone that wants this kind of thing split out to a separate channel needs a realignement! Lol 🤓
-
Very, very cool! We’re so enamoured of tech that’s brand new, but this thing is doing great science with hardware and software from 1977! That’s delightful. Your informants description was technical and clear as a bell. He hears a bell ringing 15 million km away? Fantastic!
-
I live in the Los Angeles area and I was visiting a friend in Canberra back in 1983. I made it out to Tidbinbilla during one of the days when they were at work and spent a few hours at the visitor center and adjacent area that you were allowed to view the dishes. Quite a sight indeed, the dishes are massive. I am glad Dave was able to bring this to his channel. :)
-
It’s possible that the actual farthest man made object from earth is a manhole cover (or what remains of it) shot upwards during a nuclear test at at least 4 times the velocity of Voyager 1. Over 60km/s although some people think it’s more likely it was vaporised before leaving the atmosphere. If any of it was not vaporised it would be. (Operation Blumbbob) it could have been travelling much faster but it was only visible for one frame on the high speed camera so they have a lower bound for the speed.
-
Ah man, would have been great to see the transmitting hardware. Great video, Dave. 73
-
A MAY ZING !!! Thanks Richard and Dave for this excellent insight. Weeks, nay years, worth of information in less than20 minutes! The 2nd even more amazing part is that I understood everything he was discussing ! Thank you very much Dave for letting Richard do the talking because if it was you, this would have been a 3hour video 😀😁.
-
Thanks Dave - an incredible insight and those tiny signal levels are just bonkers!
-
Isnt the thermal noise floor of the universe (leftover of the Big Bang) -174dBm/Hz? Thats a very tight link budget!
-
Excellent com systems perspective. Whoever designed the system had a a really forward looking mindset.
-
19:02 That is one GLORIOUS tree in the right-frame all the way through the last part with Richard!
