Studies on the Metsaehovi satellite laser ranging system
Abstract
The instrumental status, performance, and result of the satellite laser rangefinder at the Metsaehovi Space Geodetic Station of the Finnish Geodetic Institute at the end of 1981 are discussed. In the transmitter an electrooptically Q-switched ruby laser with peak power of about 50 MW, pulse length of 25 ns, energy of 1 J, collimated beam divergence of about 1 mrad, and repetition rate of four pulses per minute is used. The laser receiver is described, including the filtering and experimental results. Several examples of range data preprocessing using short arc orbit fitting, a simple approximated orbit-polynomial method, and comparisons of these methods with the long arc solutions provided by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory are given. The precision in ranging to the close-earth satellites has been about 0.5 m, and in the best passes 0.15-0.3 m. Future developments of the ranaging system are discussed.
- Publication:
-
Ph.D. Thesis
- Pub Date:
- 1982
- Bibcode:
- 1982PhDT........15P
- Keywords:
-
- Laser Range Finders;
- Measuring Instruments;
- Optical Tracking;
- Satellite Tracking;
- Electro-Optics;
- Finland;
- Geos Satellites (Esa);
- Lageos (Satellite);
- Ruby Lasers;
- Shutters;
- Technological Forecasting;
- Space Communications, Spacecraft Communications, Command and Tracking