On 30 March 2023, several chapters in the IEEE Central Texas Section, including its LMAG, hosted two talks by Scott Atkinson, Lone Star LMAG Chair, on “Space Communications, a Review.”
The talks covered NASA’s deep space and near Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) networks as the backbone for all of NASA’s space missions, providing critical communications services for all earth, space science, and human space missions. This includes all the telemetry, tracking, and commands required by each spacecraft to transfer mission and housekeeping data to the ground systems that manage space operations.
A talk was given to 20 faculty and students at Texas State University Ingram School of Engineering in San Marcos. Students engaged in dialog with Mr. Atkinson during and after the talk. Some students were involved with NASA in Senior Design projects and asked questions about space missions and space and communications in general. Pizza and drinks were provided.
In the evening, a second talk was held in Austin to the Central Texas LMAG. It was attended by 18 people either in-person or virtually.
