27 Oct
2009
27 Oct
'09
4:31 p.m.
I appreciate the reports about S band. As you might have surmised, in this mode we are running without live telemetry. This configuration comes pretty close to using the maximum available power. If the voltage drops below a certain set point, the S band transmitter will trip off, and the satellite internals will heat up significantly with the reduced load. We want to avoid this if at all possible. Having daily reports from around the globe that the S transmitter is still on is a valuable asset to the command team. I just thought a little explanation was in order. Thanks to all that have sent reports to me or the -bb.
73, Drew KO4MA