Signals arriving at DSN antennas on Earth can be as weak as a billionth of a billionth of a watt - that is 20 billion times less than the power required for a digital wristwatch.
As the signal travels to Earth, it weakens. Signals to and from the spacecraft travel millions, even billions, of kilometers, yet spacecraft communications technology transmits signals at very low power, usually at about the same wattage as a refrigerator light bulb (20 watts). These amazing robots have also been our eyes and ears on their journeys to far-off planets and even to the edge of the solar system, sending wondrous images and fascinating information back to Earth.īut none of these missions of discovery would have been possible without NASA’s Deep Space Network, or DSN - a worldwide system of sensitive antennas that communicates with interplanetary spacecraft. These mechanical explorers have ventured out to study Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and beyond. NASA has been sending robotic spacecraft into the solar system for more than five decades. Note that the best amplification will occur when the speaker of the mobile device is at the focal point of the umbrella.Although any mobile device will work for this activity, smaller devices such as mobile phones may be easier to hold in place on the shaft of the umbrella.
FOCALPOINT FRIDGE BEEPING DOWNLOAD
FOCALPOINT FRIDGE BEEPING PDF
(Optional) "Capturing a Whisper from Space" poster – Download PDF Management Student worksheet (one per student) – Download PDF Long metric measuring tapes or trundle wheelsĮar antenna pattern, on cardstock (one per student) – Download PDF (Optional) Additional umbrellas of various sizes (parabolic in shape)Įmpty 1- to 3-liter soda bottles (one per student) They will use sound waves as an analog for light waves and parabolic transmitters and receivers to represent antennas on spacecraft and on Earth.ġ large golf umbrella (parabolic in shape)
› Explore more on the Teachable Moments Blog OverviewStudents will model the mathematics used to communicate with spacecraft. See " The Farthest Operating Spacecraft, Voyagers 1 and 2, Still Exploring 40 Years Later." This activity is related to a Teachable Moment from Aug.
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