Microwave communications from outer planets - The Voyager Project

Abstract

The paper summarizes the Voyager Project, the mission objectives, and the spacecraft communications system required to meet the mission objectives. The primary emphasis of the mission is on comparative studies of the Jupiter and Saturn systems in the areas of: (1) the environment, atmosphere and body characteristics of the planets, and one or more of the satellites, (2) the nature of the recently discovered Jovian ring and the rings of Saturn, and (3) the interplanetary medium at increasing distances from the sun. The complexities and problems, such as power consumption, weight, and antenna pointing constraints are presented, along with a detailed description of the radio frequency and S/X-band antenna subsystems.