Inner Workings of High-Gain Mars Rover Antennas?

cavac asks: "I've been searching for detailed info on how the high gain antennas on the Mars Rovers work, but did not find much useful information except that they DO work. I've been wondering: they are disc-shaped and are approximately the size of a CD. They somehow reassemble parabolic antennas but actually aren't, are they? Anyway, how much use would a parabolic antenna that size have? When I first saw them, they reminded me of the old antennas[*] (enclosed in plastic) used on vacuum tube based radio projects[*]. So, what's really inside the Mars Rovers high gain antennas? Note: Links marked with [*] are german language but the pictures should be self explaining."

Martians

[Anonymous Coward]

Naturally we're just piggy-backing on the already built martian wireless infrastructure.

Look like Pringles to me

[ObviousGuy]

Paint some cans white and glue them together and voila! You've got yourself a nice set of omnidirectional antennae.

Re:Well, it is mars

[NanoGator]

"1. The rover is operating outside of FCC restrictions."

They still have to watch out for the DMCA, tho.

Replacable modules

[jdawg]

I just hope the AE-35 doesn't blow.

Pringles on Mars

[kmahan]

What NASA doesn't show you is the guy who takes Pringles cans, paints over 'em (after eating all the chips), and declares it "space ready" (for only $500k/unit!)

Re:Important Question

[eclectro]

First the moon landing, now this [photopile.com]. When is NASA going to come clean?

Re:Important Question

[gardyloo]

Dunno the frequency, but I'm not sure I'd want it posted on /. anyway. If it were, about 90% of the geeks seeing it would:
1) immediately have orgasms -- this stuff is SO leet, ya know?;
2) reverse-engineer the thing so that they could drive the Rover;
3) using the results from step 2, play Martian Quake, or Planetary Doom 3, and probably run over lots of shit, including (quite likely, since there's bugger all down here) the only intelligent forms of life in the known universe. Luckily, those life forms would have a LOT of Mars->Earth->Mars delay time, but I'm not sure I'd want the stuff in the sweaty hands of 13-year old geeks who haven't yet gotten terrestrial drivers' licenses.

Re:Important Question

[decepty]

oh c'mon, what self respecting geek doen't have access to that kind of stuff...