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Spotlight On Mars - Image |
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Broadcasting from a Planet Near You |
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September 08, 2008 |
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Like talk show hosts, NASA's Mars rovers broadcast their findings at television frequencies. They record their observations and send them to the Mars Odyssey orbiter once or twice a day. Odyssey then broadcasts the program -- spectacular images and all -- back to Earth.
Both rovers carry UHF radios and antennas to talk to Odyssey. Though the UHF antenna may be a small, plain-looking rod (left of the x-shaped hinges on the solar panels), it helps keep the rovers "on the air." Other antennas on the rovers can send data, but those use higher frequencies and more power. By using UHF frequencies, Spirit and Opportunity have more energy for exploring Mars. That's what they love most.
Even with a layer of dust on Spirit's solar panels, the UHF transmissions have worked flawlessly, sort of like the dusty rabbit ears on your old TV.
False-color image courtesy of: Panoramic camera
Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell
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