Episode 1260
Beacon mode service
Thu, 2020-Oct-15 00:27 UTC
Length - 2:05
Direct Link
Welcome to random Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of a random Wikipedia page every day.
The random article for Thursday, 15 October 2020 is Beacon mode service.
The beacon mode service is a Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) telecommunications service aimed at spacecraft which are not communicated with (on a daily basis) via the Deep Space Network. It is primarily designed to relay a spacecraft's "health" information, and secondarily its telecommunications status, using a simple signal that can be detected with a moderately-sized antenna. Beacon mode also enables spacecraft to communicate with one another on a daily basis, allowing for one spacecraft to act as a data proxy for another.
The CCSDS tone beacon mode configures the transceiver to transmit a CW tone. It can be used to signal other spacecraft to transmit their data to an orbiter; however, its primary function is to transmit spacecraft health information.
Addressing multiple spacecraft is accomplished by using four unique CW frequencies with 16 possible tones, used somewhat like DTMF signaling technology. In the outer solar system, UHF frequencies are not used; instead, the primary (or backup) transmitter is programmed to transmit the required tone (generally in the X or Ku band). Spacecraft may respond in any transmit configuration compatible with valid orbiter receive configurations, but outside the beacon mode service.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:27 UTC on Thursday, 15 October 2020.
For the full current version of the article, see Beacon mode service on Wikipedia.
This podcast is produced by Abulsme Productions based on Wikipedia content and is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
Visit wikioftheday.com for our archives, sister podcasts, and swag. Please subscribe to never miss an episode. You can also follow @WotDpod on Twitter.
Abulsme Productions produces the current events podcast Curmudgeon's Corner as well. Check it out in your podcast player of choice.
This has been Matthew Standard. Thank you for listening to random Wiki of the Day.
|
|
Buy WotD Stuff!!
