Communications System

How does DS1's communications system work?

How much data is DS1 able to transfer?

The amount of data that any satellite is able to transfer depends very much on how close to Earth it is. Early in the mission, DS1 has transferred 8-10 MB of data over an 8 hour time period. Later in the mission the rate will be much less.


How is data put on radio waves?
What are uplink and downlink?
How often is DS1 in communication with Earth?
What is a satellite?

What kind of data is DS1 sending back?
How are gaps in data dealt with?
Why does the data transfer rate have to drop with distance?
Why does communication get harder at greater distances?
What is bandwidth?

How is data processing managed?