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Waff, Craig B.

Publications and source records attributed to Waff, Craig B..

The road to the Deep Space Network

The history and current status of the NASA Deep Space Network, a system of 13 antennas of various designs and sizes located around the world to stay in continuous contact with spacecraft out to the edge of the solar system, are reviewed. A major step in the evolution of the Deep Space Network is considered to be the installation of 210-ft-diameter antennas to support sophisticated spacecraft sending data at higher rate back to earth at Goldstone in 1966 and at Tidbinbilla and Robledo de Chevala in 1973. New 340-meter multifrequency beam-waveguide antenna, in which weather sensitive microwave components were to be put in an equipment room, was installed for research and development at Goldstone in 1990.

Waff, Craig B.↗

Designing the United States' initial 'Deep-Space Networks' - Choices for the Pioneer lunar-probe attempts of 1958-59

The paper describes two separate networks for ground-support stations, designed, respectively, by the Space Technology Laboratories (STL) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), to support the series of early Pioneer lunar-probe attempts. Particular attention is given to the characteristics of an ideal ground-support station and to the criteria used for the selection of the antenna, the antenna station site, and the frequency for the STL and JPL networks.

Waff, Craig B.↗