How does the lander telecom system communicate with Earth?
The microwave data link from the Mars Pathfinder lander to earth is handled by the Deep Space Network, in many ways a more remarkable link than the lander to rover link described in our web page. Information on the DSN can be found HERE. Basically the DSN consists of a collection of 34 and 70-meter radio telescopes equipped with cryogenically cooled low-noise amplifiers (approx. 20 degrees Kelvin noise temp). They operate in two microwave frequency bands, S-band (2.3 GHz) and X-band (7.2 GHz TX uplink , 8.4 GHz RX downlink). For detailed information on the technical specifications of the DSN antennas click HERE. Mars Pathfinder uses a 12 Watt RF output X-band SSPA (Solid State Power Amplifier) transmitter to downlink data back to Earth. The X-SSPA was designed, built and tested here at JPL. The Pathfinder lander has two different ways to communicate with Earth. One way is with its High Gain Antenna (HGA) and another is with its Low Gain Antenna (LGA). Both antennas are capable of recei
