Estimates of Atmosphere-Induced Gain Loss for the Deep Space Network Array

Decorrelation of carrier phases among the antennas of the Deep Space Network (DSN) Array may occur due to turbulence in the Earth’s atmosphere, leading to a reduction in signal-to-noise ratio for both received and transmitted signals if no correction is made. In this article, available statistical data on the turbulence are collected and analyzed in an attempt to predict the magnitude of such a loss.