Antenna drive system for the Nimbus satellite
This paper describes a two-axis drive system for pointing a high-gain antenna. Motion about each axis is provided by identical drive mechanisms. The drive is unique in that only three gear passes are required to obtain the necessary 900:1 gear reduction. The drive system is a primary element of an experiment that will provide a real-time data link between Nimbus and certain ground stations. In this experiment data are transmitted from Nimbus to the applications technology satellite, which relays the data to ground stations.
G. J. Wedlake↗