PLACES Quick-look report for beacon and aircraft experiments

During December 1980 the Position Location and Communication Effects Simulations (PLACES) Experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of structured ionospheric plasmas on satellite communications and navigation systems. A structured plasma environment was created by a 48 kgm barium release from a rocket launched from Eglin AFB, FL. Measurements of propagation effects on signals from the LES-8 satellite over the Pacific Ocean to a KC 135/662 aircraft operating in the Florida area were conducted (Aircraft Experiment) as well as measurements of the time-of-arrival spread of energy on a phase coded spread spectrum signal emanating from a rocket launched behind the barium cloud and received at specially constructed ground receiving sites in northern Florida (Beacon Experiment). This report presents a quick-look at the data measurements obtained from the aircraft and beacon experiments.