Mobile network field testing at HMP-2000

Author

Gilbaugh, Bruce L. ; Glass, Brian ; Alena, Richard

Author_Institution

NASA Ames Res. Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA

Volume

3

fYear

2001

fDate

2001

Abstract

Future human planetary exploration field teams will need daily communications with their base and with mission control. A remote field wireless digital network will be a requirement for safe and productive human exploration. Proper selection of radio-frequency hardware and antennas will be vital to its success in remote, hostile environments. This paper reviews the communications techniques explored in the Mobile Exploration 2000 field season at the Haughton-Mars Project, which was located at a remote impact crater field science site in the Canadian Arctic. Results from 2.4 GHz spread-spectrum signal-strength and data throughput tests, conducted during remote field deployments, show a marked variability with given hardware and antenna choices, with directional antenna performance less than expected from theory. Changing the antenna schemes for repeater-to-base and repeater-to-rover increased the rover´s effective communication range to base camp to over 3 km

Keywords

dipole antennas; directive antennas; frequency hop communication; planetary rovers; space communication links; spread spectrum communication; telecommunication equipment testing; wireless LAN; 2.4 GHz; DS-SS; FH-SS; Haughton-Mars Project; Mobile Exploration 2000; base communications; data throughput tests; dipole antennas; directional antenna performance; human planetary exploration; mission control communication; mobile network field testing; remote field wireless digital network; remote impact crater field science site; repeater-to-base; repeater-to-rover; rover antennas; rover effective communication range; spread-spectrum signal-strength tests; wireless LAN; Arctic; Communication system control; Hardware; Humans; Mobile communication; Radio frequency; Repeaters; Spread spectrum communication; Testing; Throughput;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Aerospace Conference, 2001, IEEE Proceedings.

Conference_Location

Big Sky, MT

Print_ISBN

0-7803-6599-2

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/AERO.2001.931337

Filename

931337