An empirical correlation is drawn between the science data returned from deep-space missions and the energy required to operate the spacecraft and its payload. This correlation serves to give a simple early estimate of power requirements for planetary missions. Surprisingly, missions follow a linear dependence of the specific energy (joules per bit) with distance from Earth, which is an emergent law that reflects the engineering effort to partially defeat the inverse square law. Proportionalities of unit for missions with high-gain antennas and unit for omnidirectional antennas are found. The payload energy costs to acquire the data are examined briefly: except for in situ missions with chemical analyses using relay spacecraft, the acquisition costs are small compared with the spacecraft operation and transmission costs.
Energy Cost of Acquiring and Transmitting Science Data on Deep-Space Missions
Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets ; 52 , 6 ; 1691-1695
2015-09-15
5 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
Energy Cost of Acquiring and Transmitting Science Data on Deep-Space Missions
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