Beyond a fertile field of satellite communication antennas at
Space Center, an Atlas V rocket
streaks into orbit in
this long exposure photograph.
In the thoughtfully
composed image recorded on the evening of January 30,
the antennas in the foreground bring to mind the rocket's payload, a
and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS; sounds like TEE-dress).
This TDRS-K is the first in a next-generation series
adding to the constellation of NASA's communication satellites.
Operating from geosynchronous orbit
22,300 miles (36,000 kilometers) above planet Earth,
the network of TDRS satellites relays
communications, data, and commands between
spacecraft and ground stations.
Formerly the TDRS network provided communications for
space shuttle missions.
satellites were ferried as far as low Earth orbit on
The TDRS network continues to support major spacecraft like the
International Space Station, the
Hubble Space Telescope, and the
Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.