A study of indoor propagation: Theory and results of the wireless communication system for the Space Station Freedom

The experimental methods used to collect the propagation data from the Space Station Freedom are discussed. For the space station modules considered it can be seen that, when the units have a large number of random scatterers, the fields tend to follow a Rayleigh distribution when the transmitter is stationary and the receiver moves throughout the volume. If both transmitter and receiver remain stationary, the field distribution becomes Rice-distributed. This would agree with the general theory that a Rice-distributed field has a strong line-of-sight component affecting the distribution. Finally, it is shown that, when the volume lacks sufficient scatterers, the field distribution no longer behaves predictably. This is due to the fact that, when the obstacles are removed, the module begins to resemble a simple cylindrical cavity and lacks enough random qualities to create a Rayleigh or Rice field distribution.<>