starbird

I was thinking about the same thing today. Communication is a big issue in space flight. I like the idea of transmissions being blocked by line of sight and the need for relay satellites. Maybe the different classes of antennas (which simulate an entire radio), could have different outputs and power requirements. A big, heavy set with a lot of power output could be used on a probe orbiting the body and the rover/lander on the ground could communicate with with a smaller lighter radio set rather than try to blast messages directly. This is how the KU satellites work in earth orbit, and various Mars orbiters are used as relays for rovers.