Antenna drive system for the Nimbus satellite

Abstract

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.