A payload package with communications and navigation experiments for space shuttle missions

The specification of a package of communications and navigation experiments (COMNAV) for the Spacelab D1 payload is summarized. The COMNAV facility corresponds to a minimum configuration of the onboard instrumentation, as defined in a previous report. This configuration enables six of the proposed experiments to be performed in L band. The payload features modular construction and can be extended to include experiments operating in the 30 GHz range. It is largely independent of Spacelab, so that few modifications are necessary if the payload is to be flown on a shuttle-only mission. Examples are also given of what general conditions must be met so that COMNAV experiments can be combined with other spaceborne experiments.