3 ms·
Presumably the mere fact it can communicate and thus have its position and/or speed derived is itself of value.
by detritus 6y ago
Presumably the mere fact it can communicate and thus have its position and/or speed derived is itself of value.
- greenyoda 6y agoIt may also be valuable to have a way of testing how sensitive their earth-based receiving equipment is.
- Klathmon 6y agoNot just testing but I'm sure a "known" signal coming from outside the solar system would be invaluable for developing and tuning deep space network systems.
- ISL 6y agoCorrect. The ability to determine distance and velocity allows the trajectory and dynamics of the instrument to be computed with high precision. To see one application of this information, look for discussions of the "Pioneer Anomaly". That particular effect is now understood, but had it held up to detailed systematic-effect analysis, it would have affected our understanding of gravitation on solar-system scales. When one enters entirely new territory, the understanding derived from single reliable measurements can be quite substantial.
- fhars 6y agoThat, and letting one instrument run and shutting down communication would probably be even less useful.