Jet Propulsion Laboratory (U.S.). Radio Frequency and Microwave Subsystems Section.

The Deep Space Network (DSN) is a network of communications antennas located at various places across the Earth. The DSN was designed as a communications facility that would accommodate all deep space missions, thereby avoiding the need for each flight project to acquire and operate its own specialized communications network. The first station of what would become the DSN was "Pioneer Station" (DSS-11) at Goldstone, California, activated in November 1958. The two stations that figure prominently in this collection are DSS (Deep Space Station)-12 and DSS-14, both located at Goldstone.

DSS-12, "Echo Station," was activated as a 26-meter S-band antenna in August 1960. It was upgraded to a 34-meter S and X-band antenna in November 1978. DSS-12 was retired from the DSN in February 1996. It is now called GAVRT (Goldstone-Apple Valley Radio Telescope) and is operated by JPL, NASA, the Lewis Center for Educational Research and the Apple Valley Unified School District as an educational tool that allows classrooms to operate the antenna via the Internet. DSS-12 was named "Echo Station" after Project Echo, an early communications satellite.

DSS-14, "Mars Station" at Goldstone, was activated as a 64-meter S-band antenna in May 1966. It was upgraded and re-activated with a 70-meter S and X-band antenna in June 1988. DSS-14 was named "Mars Station" because the first signal it received was from Mariner 4 approaching solar occultation at the far side of the Solar System. Mariner 4 had previously flown by Mars. DSS-14 played a major role in the reception of signals from the Apollo manned spacecraft on the moon, as well as the Viking spacecraft on Mars and the Voyager spacecraft on their mission to the outer planets.

In the late 1970s, with the Voyager spacecraft missions to the outer planets, it became important to modify the Deep Space Network to meet the needs of new missions. The first step in this process was to convert the 26-meter antennas in the DSN to 34 meters in diameter. This conversion was also done to increase the station's gain capability, and to provide adequate data returns from the outer planets. This conversion was done at DSS-12 in Goldstone, as well as DSS-42 (Tidbinbilla) in Canberra, Australia, and DSS-61 (Robledo de Chavala) in Madrid, Spain.

The DSN is a facility of NASA, and is managed and operated for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The Telecommunications and Mission Operations Directorate (TMOD) manages the program within JPL.

From the description of DSN Antenna Upgrade and Enhancement Collection, 1971-1980. (Jet Propulsion Laboratory Library and Archives). WorldCat record id: 733100085