Multimedia Gallery
- Topic: Navigating In Space
Curiosity Rover on Mars
When referring to the Deep Space Network, deep space starts just past the Moon’s orbit and includes the solar system and beyond. To an astronomer, deep space might mean what’s beyond our galaxy.
The Deep Space Operations Control Center at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory coordinates the three Deep Space Network stations.
The three Deep Space Network stations are separated by about 120 degrees of longitude so they can track spacecraft continuously as Earth rotates.
This famous “Earthrise” image was taken from Apollo 8 just after it emerged from behind the Moon.
Engineers on the night of the launch at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, where Pioneer 4 was built.
Engineers at Goldstone prepare for the launch of Pioneer 4.
This is the master clock used at the Goldstone, California, Deep Space Network station from about 1983 to 2006.
Guidance, navigation, and control are three central facets of managing a craft in space.
Most inertial navigation devises use a gyro that measures motion by the change in vibration of a cup-shaped device.