Communications Engineer Lee Joyce opens the door to a sphere containing a new antenna and tracking system on the roof of the aircraft hangar at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Called the Langley Research Antenna System, or LRAS, the system was installed this summer as an upgrade of the center’s aircraft and spacecraft telemetry and tracking capability. Langley is now able to provide command and telemetry support for aircraft and rocket missions launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility as well as for Langley’s own aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. The system in the future may also allow Langley to communicate with small satellites on orbit. NASA Langley’s Deputy Spectrum Manager Ken Dudley said the project was paid for with spectrum reallocation funds provided by the Federal Communications Commission. See more photos of the LRAS installation at this image gallery.
Image credit: NASA/David C. Bowman