| Description: | A small satellite place in synchronous orbit over the hemisphere where exploration is taking place. It provides moment-by-moment information on te precise location of a tracking unit on the ground with an accuracy of 1 meter or less.
For twice the size and cost, the satellite can relay the tracking unit (which would then include a TV-like viewscreen) to a plot projected on an accurate map of the region which is created by the satellite through a combination of laser and radar mapping techniques. A small fusion generator provides over a year of operation without servicing, and the statellite can be retrieved and used over and over.
For an additional Cr5000, the satellite can be used for communications, relaying communications between line-of-sight communicators. For example, two people on the ground who are 100 km apart cannot normally talk to each other via LOS communicators but, with this option, they could by relaying the transmissions through the satellite. |